


The Day My Life Continued

by AuthorA97



Series: What Is A Family? [7]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Accidental Super Powers, Adventure, Developing Relationship, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Memory Alteration, Romance, Self-Doubt, someone help me tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2020-10-05 18:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 118,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20493296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorA97/pseuds/AuthorA97
Summary: Princess Morgan Annie Spencer. That's my name. I've had it for almost 200 years (certain travels may vary). My sixteenth birthday is in about a two months and I'm bursting at the seems in excitement.So, what's changed? Oh! I'm an alicorn now. Yeah. That's a whole other mess I don't want to get into. Lilac's ten now, aged slowly by the Traveling. Oh, but she loves it!It's been nearly five years for me. It's had it's ups and downs. I'm still suffering from the loss of Darcy. I somehow managed to get a boy-coltfriend, Bumblebee. He's hiding something from me, and I can't figure it out! I only managed to get him because of a message from Future Morgan, who never lies to me.Strange things have been happening to me my whole life. It's hard to remember some of them. All I remember for sure is he is trying to ruin my life. He helped turn me human in Equestria. Why can't I remember? Rule Seven says I have to remember everything, and it pisses me off that I forgot!I'm gonna fix the mess this bastard has caused. I'm gonna find a way to bring Darcy back. I'm gonna get Bumblebee back. I'm gonna win back Lilac's trust. I'm gonna fix all of this.I Pinkie Promise.





	1. Chapter 01

August 14th, 2013. It had been six months since January, when the Mane 6 first followed me Home, when I first realized I was a part of something, when Dominic kidnapped Lilac, when my family and friends found out what I was, when my sister…you know, when the Traveler community appointed me their Princess.

Life had been hard after that. The first month being the worst. My Friday’s were spent at the Center talking with the ex-Presidents of each State Travel District. Four weeks, forty-nine states left in America alone. Europe has three, Asia has six and Africa has eight! Australia is just one big state, thank God. Each one asked the same fucking questions. It got to the point where I had to print it out on a piece of paper so they wouldn’t ask them.

They were as follows. How old are you? Fifteen in human years, one hundred ninety-nine Traveler years. How long have you been Traveling? One hundred eighty nine years. What do I plan to do with the other Travelers? I don’t know, call me later when I decide. Is it true you killed President Chamberlin after he kidnapped your Created daughter and Created sister? Leave before I show you how.

It only got worse.

When the meetings stopped, paperwork took their place. I had to fill out forms detailing every place I had gone, how many years I spent and my identities in each. Some required me to revisit those places. I had completely forgotten I spent fifty years in one place. It was  _ Thirty Days of Night _ so that explained it.

It got difficult when I had explain all the Created’s I had. Most were parents, a few brothers, Lilac and...Darcy.

April came. I was given free time to go back to Ponyville again regularly. The first thing I did when I returned was a camping trip. It only served as a reminder to Lilac and I about what happened to Darcy. Not my best idea.

I had taken Lilac on a few Travels. We went to one place where I hadn’t been to in a while,  _ Danny Phantom _ and a place Lilac wanted to visit,  _ How to Train Your Dragon _ . That was a fun couple of weeks. Before I knew it, she was eight, then nine, and she just recently turned 10 Traveler Years. My little dragon was growing up.

Lila Chamberlin had been going to  _ My Little Pony _ more than me. Well, her own version of the show. It was weird, apparently Travelers would go into their own version of the show, and go into another Traveler’s simply by taking their hand or the hand of their Created. She apparently liked helping Applejack and Pinkie with things. She told me that Twilight had been constantly asking about me, saying Mia and Shiny were asking the same by letter.

Mia and I met up once every two weeks in the Crystal Empire for tea. It was a pain to remember those dates. I avoided what had been happening, for the sole purpose of having somepony not hounding me about my Traveler duties.

While at the Center, my parents had apparently hired an assistant to help me. Her name was Tracy Strauss. She was what Snow White’s step-mother would be like. Trust me, I’ve met her.

Most of the time she was cold, saying she only Traveled for business. I didn’t. I Traveled to have some excitement in my life, to help the Characters inside the Shows.

I met some other nice Travelers. One is a Katelynn Meldon, a teen who has Traveled three times before. She was my second closest Traveler friend, the first was Lila. A third was Smith Tyler (the guy that had the office across from me) or was it Tyler Smith?

Then there was Kelly Davids from accounting, Donald Walters from the Trackers Lab (a place where Traveler make sure the International Traveler Database [ITB] is up to date), Charlie from the coffee room, and finally Dahlia Bates. She was nice, nicer than some of those others. I like her.

Darcy would’ve laughed at that. Saying she had called it all along. I would correct her saying I liked Dahlia as a friend, but Darcy would say _ ‘whatever you say, Morgue, whatever you say’ _ .

The summer was a great time for me. Lilac was staying in my parents’ house, we went to visit my Grandmother’s beach house in Florida and the Cruise we took in June. I took the Mane 6, Spike and Lilac, and the Royal Sisters for a week long trip to Walt Disney World. It was during this time I gave each of the Mane 7 plus the Princesses their own phones.

Not only had I equipped each phone with the numbers of the other phone holders, I put in my work and home number. Just in case they wanted to chat. (And my parent’s numbers, but only because Twilight kept pestering me on it). I had a ton of money, of course I would spend it on my friend’s. At fifteen, what else would I spend it on?

Later on, I had some guys do construction to make us a little house in my backyard. Okay, not so much a house as it was a shack. It had running water though, as well as power and air conditioning. 

Lilac had so much fun at Home. She was making friends with some of the kids at my school. She was getting close with my baby brother, Nathan Scott, who now adored  _ My Little Pony _ .

My parents seemed fine with her being around, enjoying the fact that I had something keeping me somewhat mature. They obviously didn’t see me in the Dragon movie.

My office wasn’t Dominic’s. I chose the large room on the fifth floor. It allowed more space for things as well as room for a small bed for when I Traveled.

There are also many questions out there. I had been asked them ever since I took over this place.

Dominic had told me at the hospital that there was a law saying I had to take back the Mane 7 to Equestria. Then they ended up back in Equestria. The explanation is simple. Dominic was a liar. Taking back that many would kill me, and I don’t think Dominic knew that I knew that. The other Travelers watching over my friends took them home, if only to keep them from interfering. The used Lilac as the sort of portal, draining her of her Created-ness just to get them home.

I am the reincarnation of Delilah Patterson, may she rest in peace. Rumor is, she performed a Phoenix Spell on herself. They say Delilah saved my life, giving me her soul when I was born. I thought it was stupid, the her saving my life. She just made it longer, and made it harder. Oh, and I had to clean up her smurfin’ mess.

There’s a summary of what happened on Earth. Now, let me explain some Equestrian stuff for you.

In Equestria, there are five Alicorns. Celestia, Princess of the Sun, Luna, Princess of the Moon, Cadence (or Mia), Princess of Love, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Element of Magic, and finally, Raspberry Stardust, Princess of Traveling.

Confused? I’ll go deeper into explaining.

It was all just a big mess that day, so much singing and laughing and magic spells. The only thing I do remember clearly was that I left the tea kettle on. I was standing beside Twilight when she figured it out, I was hit by the blast, and Celestia made me an alicorn. Not only that, but my cutiemark changed. I have a tiara on it now. It was silver, with some sapphires. It vaguely resembled Celestia’s, probably closer to Luna’s than anything. 

Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza still have no clue about my Traveling. The same for Cheerilee, the CMC, and everypony in Ponyville. It was really hard on Applejack, who was constantly being hounded for answers on where we all vanished for a week.

Is that everything? It should be. All that’s left is the Princess Summit in a couple weeks. I still have to gather supplies for it, like my Infi-purse. For the life of me I cannot find my Infi-purse!

Sorry, moving on.

Right now, I’m finishing up a formula for some special paper. It’s highly complex because once it’s done I need to work it into the paper like a complicated threadwork. Or I could just soak it in the Formula?

“Hey, Lilac, should I thread the Formula into the paper or just soak it in?” I asked my daughter as we watched  _ My Little Pony: Equestria Girls _ in our shack.

The blue haired dragon-girl looked at me and smiled. She had gotten used to life on Earth. The cars, the TVs, phones. Her favorite part was definitely the air conditioning. She had also been getting smarter, a bit better at helping me Plan. “Thread it in. Oh, and soak the covers so the paper can be self-replicant.”

“And that’s why I need people like you Lilac! You got a good head on your shoulders.” I told her, writing it all out on the sheet of paper I was working on. “Almost...got...it...and...done!”

With a tap of my pen, I handed the paper to Lilac. “Send it to Lila at the Center, I’ll need it before I go back to Equestria.”

My daughter nodded, lifting the papers holding the chemical formula up and blasting it with her messaging fire. In blue smoke it took the papers away towards my friend who had been patiently waiting for us to send the letter.

Then, I remembered my problem. I turned to my daughter. “Li, have you seen my Infi-purse?”

She shook her head, brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes. “No Mom, do you think you left it in Equestria?”

“No, no, no. I know I kept it somewhere around here, I just can’t remember where.”

“The office?”

“Checked. Twice.”

“The safe?”

“Three times.”

“The car?”

“Twice.”

“Your closet?”

“Four times.”

“ _ My _ closet?”

“Thrice.”

Lilac tapped her chin. “Special storage shed where you keep everything that you can’t fit anywhere else?”

“Hmm. I forgot about that one. I’ll head over there after I get something to eat.” Getting up, I began walking towards the door to our Mini-Hut. “Stay pure!” I instructed Lilac as I walked out.

“I can’t! I’m being raised by you!” Lilac joked.

_ ‘Witty sarcasm. She’s getting better every day, I’m so proud.’ _

That’s was my life. Trying to keep some set of normalcy in whatever the hell I was doing.

I almost forgot! We had given Darcy a decent burial. She now rested in the courtyard in the Center. She should be happy there, at least for now. Somewhere out there is a way to bring her back. I can feel it in my gut!

Now, to get that Infi-purse!

==DMLC==

Work was hell.

I had finally found the Infi-purse (Lilac was right) and then I went to the Center to see if Lila had done anything with that formula I had sent her. The experiment had to work by the time of the Princess Summit or else my whole plan would fall apart. You wanna know the plan? It’ll be legend- wait for it!

The minute I arrived at the Center, my assistant Tracy pushed a ton of forms that needed my signature. Of course, I had to read them over to make sure they weren’t for something stupid that would later come to bite my ass. That took at  _ least _ an hour.

When that was done, Lila told me the Formula wasn’t complete because one of the chemicals was making another one explode. That meant I needed to find the chemicals or potion that would do the same thing as one of the chemicals.

Tracy then told me I had meetings with three Traveler Families who had arrived from Texas, Minnesota, and one family that was leftover in South Carolina. They had come first to meet me and second to get some of their kids evaluated.

So, now I’m collapsed on my office bed and waiting for the meetings to start. The sheets felt like silk. Dark purple silk. The pillows came from Foreign-Country-I’m-Not-Even-Gonna-Try-To-Pronounce.

I had called Mom and asked the she send Lilac to the Center. She told me that she was busy working at the school so Lilac would have to walk. After some thought, I wrote a letter to Lilac and told her to survive the walk.

*knock* *knock*

“Come in.” I groaned, burying my head deeper into the soft as cloud pillow.

“ _ I can’t. You locked the door.” _

My eyes widened. It was Katelynn!

Running up to it, I opened the door wide and noticed the five-foot-two blonde.

“Katelynn!” I greeted.

“Morgan!” She cheered.

The two of us hugged, and me being five-foot-nine I could rest my head on top of her’s if I stood up a little more. She was dressed in an outfit that made it look like she worked at Olive Garden. A long sleeved buttoned up white t-shirt with black trousers.

When we separated, I smiled. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you have to get ready for school in two weeks?”

Katelynn shrugged. “I did, but apparently I’m also signed up for my mom’s ‘Take your Kid to Work Day’.”

“That’s not today.”

“It’s that day somewhere.” Katelynn pointed out. “Plus, I have to finish my internship. Still got five hours.”

I nodded, walking back over to my desk and raising my nose high. My hands clasped in front of me and my back straightened up. “Katelynn, my dear, could you please let in our first group?” I said in a faux fancy accent.

The blonde laughed as she walked out of the room to get a family and bring them in.

“Mr. Warner, Mrs. Warner, Princess Spencer will see you now.” Katelynn said.

“*ahem*!”

“Sorry. Princess  _ Morgan _ will see you now.” Katelynn corrected.

“Go get yourself a gold star!” I called out as the couple walked in.

The man and woman sat down at the chairs opposite my desk. I relaxed a little because it was tiring keeping my back straight.

“So, any questions before we start?” I asked them with a smile.

The woman nodded. “Yes, is it true that you killed Dominic Chamberlin after her took your Createds?”

It was gonna be a  _ long  _ day.

==DMLC==

Three hours later, the Warner’s had come and gone. Right now I was showing the Fergusons out. They had asked me all the expected questions, but the mother asked if I had been  _ sleeping _ with Dominic and that’s why he took my family and I killed him! I was almost sixteen for God’s sake! The same age as her  _ own _ daughter!

So, as I kicked her out, I gave her the best angry smile I could give. “Thank you Mrs. Ferguson, please never come again.”

I slammed the door and sighed. This was getting ridiculous.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

“Yes?”

_ “Are you okay?” _

“No.”

_ “I wouldn’t be either.” _ Katelynn said. I could tell she was smirking from the tone in her voice.  _ “I’ve got good news though, only one family left. The Logans. Apparently, the mother is the Traveler and this is her second marriage. Her ex is a Mr. Matthew Brown. The Logans have three children, two from the first marriage and one by the second. The oldest is around your age in human years. The daughters are three years and thirteen years younger. Doesn’t seem so bad.” _

I thought it over. Would it really be a good idea? So soon after being blantaly insulted?

“Why not. Beats having to do it later.” I grumbled.

_ “I could just tell them you don’t feel well.” _ Katelynn offered.

“No, no. Let’s get this over with before I change my mind.” I groaned, going back up to my desk.

Sitting in the rolling chair, I looked over the desk. Three framed photos sat on the desk. One of my family standing on a beach from our trip in June, one of Lilac and me in Berk, and one of the Equestrians and I in front of Cinderella’s Castle. Everyone looked so happy. Pinkie was somehow able to take the photo and be in it, Luna kept on asking how my iPhone could take pictures.

Slowly, I reached for one of the drawers on the desk. It held a fourth photo, one I hadn’t seen in awhile. It was taken out of my photo album. Darcy and me, standing in front of a police car. Such a good memory…

*knock* *knock* *knock*

“Come in.” I said, closing the drawer.

A man and woman walked in. The man was tall, maybe six feet. He had some black hair cut kinda short, deep brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He wore a business suit. The woman had long wood brown straight hair, deep green eyes and tan skin. She was wearing a women’s business attire.

“Your majesty.” They greeted.

“Screw formalities. Calm me Morgan. And you are?” I told the two.

Mr. Logan and Mrs. Logan looked confused at first before smiling. “I’m Theodore Logan and this is my wife, Savannah.”

Savannah smiled at me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I feel the same. It’s nice to meet new Travelers, so long has they have a sense of decency which the last two families forgot.” The Logan’s looked confused. “That last group, the mother asked me if I was  _ sleeping _ with Dominic Chamberlin! Can you believe that?!”

Savannah gasped. “But you’re no older than my son!”

“That’s what I thought! Except, for her kid.” I added. “So, let’s see the rest of the Logan Family. Bottom to top, and before you ask why, keep in mind that I am pissed off. Little kids usually make it better, just ask my little Lilac.” They raised eyebrows. I flipped the photo of LIlac and I around. The Logans looked logistically shocked.

“That’s...what you call  _ little _ ?” Theodore asked.

“Yep. She’s around...ten now...in Travelers years that is. In real life she’s gonna be eight in three months.” I explained. “She’s probably somewhere in the building...I didn’t think the meetings were going to take so long.” Placing the photo back, I brought up my iPhone and pulled up a less dragon-y picture of Lilac.

“Here she is, but less threatening to use your bones for bread.” I showed the phone to the Logans, who both smiled.

“Is that blue hair?” Savannah asked.

“Yep. All natural too.” I replied.

Theodore got a little closer. “Is she...breathing fire?”

“Oh yeah.” I said, proudly. “We were having trouble baking cookies two months ago. I found a creative way to do it.” Theodore and Savannah smiled.

“Well, that is creative.” Savannah chuckled.

“Yeah,” I said, staring at the photo. “So, your youngest?”

The two Logans smiled as I brought them back on track. “Yes, our youngest is little Kimberly, my daughter Ashley and my son Seth.”

Seth? Seth Brown? Where have I heard that name before...

“Wow. Those are some good names. How many of them are Travelers?”

Theodore answered that one. “All of them. Though Ashley and Seth are only half-Traveler. Savannah’s ex-husband was a human.” He said the last bit with an undertone of anger.

“And...is there a problem with being human?” I asked, picking up the anger.

Savannah shook her head. “Of course not, it’s just... he never understood my Traveling.” She explained solemnly.

“Okay. Good. I thought we were gonna go out on a Human vs. Traveler debate. I have had that one with too much stuck-up’s.” I voiced my thought. “Could I meet them? They sound interesting already.”

Savannah and Theodore nodded, the father walking back to the large door. He opened it wide and called for the kids. “Seth, Ashley, Kimberly, could you come in here for a minute? The Princess wants to see you.”

Not even two seconds after he said that, a little girl with straight mouse brown hair and deep brown eyes ran inside and up to Savannah.

Savannah’s green eyes widened. “Kimmy!” She lightly scolded.

“Oh.” I said. “She’s adorable.”

Little Kimberly was looking up at me with those freakin’ adorable eyes. Not as cute as my Lilac’s, but still freakin’ cute.

“Kimmy!” Another female voice card out. Turning towards it, I saw a girl with burnt honey blonde hair with it tied back into a ponytail, her eyes were deep green like Savannah’s. She smiled at me once I was seen. “You. I remember you.”

This had me intrigued. I almost never forget a face. “You do? How?”

“You went to my old school. I remember seeing you in my brother’s class. You know, Oakley Christian Prep?”

_ No _

Ashley simply looked at me, curious as to the hate etched on my face. “Um…Princess? Are you alright?”

“Mrs. Logan, in your last marriage it was to a Mr. Brown.” I stated.

Savannah was silent as footsteps approached the door. “Yes, it was.” She said, as if I had said it as a question.

“Then I am not alright.” I said as the first Logan child walked in.

He was taller than I remembered. Naturally tan skin with slightly tanner freckles, dark olive green eyes, dark wooden brown hair. He was still in his uniform, a white polo shirt with the school’s name in dark blue were the horse would go, long khaki pants, and black sneakers with those old scratchy socks.

He was taller than I remembered. Maybe six feet this time, he was five feet tall last time.

“ _ Seth Brown _ .” I growled, not hiding my disdain.

Said teen’s eyes widened as he began to remember. “Morgan Spencer.”

“Good. I’d have thought my name would fade into the back of your thick head.” I don’t entirely know what had come over me, but I liked it. I never had the courage to say them last time I saw him. “Or, that maybe the wrong name would get remembered.”

Mr. Logan walked up to his step-son. “Seth, you know the Princess?”

“You could say that, Ted.” Seth said, not looking away from me.

“Could he? I think we more than just knew each other.” I said, reaching towards the phone and pressing the button that let me talk to Katelynn. “Kate, could you please escort the Logan’s out?”

_ “*sigh*. Yeah Morgue.” _ Katelynn sighed.

Savannah looked at me with surprise. At least I think she did, I couldn’t look away from Seth. “Princess! What did we do?”

I snapped my head to her. “It’s not what you did.” I looked back to Seth, hatred burning inside me. “It’s what  _ he _ did.”

Seth’s shocked face slowly faded away. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“ _ ‘Wasn’t that bad’ _ ?  _ ‘Wasn’t that bad’ _ ! You call what you did  _ ‘wasn’t that bad’ _ ?!” My anger was getting bigger, almost too big.

“Yeah.” Seth Brown said as Katelynn walked in to escort them out.

“You broke my arm in three places, my leg in four, my head in a near concussion state, bruises on my arms and hands, and stitches in my head from landing on concrete [b] ** _not that bad?!_ ** [/b]” I growled at him.

The people in the room gasped, recoiled in surprise and one just plain stared at me, waiting for me to react again.

Seth Brown. The meanest kid to me during my first years as a Traveler in my old school. He was the one who encouraged calling me a freak and a weirdo. It got to a point where him and his buddy, William Hobertson, pushed me down two flights of stairs into the concrete floor at the bottom.

My skull nearly bust open and I had to get stitches. I wore casts for months. My parents thought it was just me tripping, same for the teachers. The bruises came from trying to stop myself from falling.

Seth only glared as he was guided out of my office, I waited for Katelynn walk back in after the Logan’s were gone to say any more.

“Turn off the light and lock the door. Consider your internship complete. I’m done for the night.” I said.

The blonde only nodded, flipping the switch and closing the door.

Once I was sure I was alone, I let the floodgates open and began crying.


	2. Chapter 02

“And… how long has she been like this?”

“Two days.”

“What?! Why did you wait so long to get me!”

“I didn’t. That’s how long it took for me to find a willing Traveler to come get you.”

The urge to groan was strong. I was looking inside Morgan’s ‘ _ home _ ’. A small hut placed in her parent’s backyard, not really a house in my opinion. She had locked herself inside it according to Lilac, not taking any food or water. It was like Morgan Spencer didn’t exist to the world. I think that’s how she wanted it.

But not this time.

“Is Mom gonna be okay?” Lilac asked me, a worried expression on her face and in her eyes.

Gently patting the eight year old on the back, I smiled. “Of course she is. You wait here.”

“O-okay Miss Twilight.”

I marched right up to the door to the Hut and banged on the door. “Morgan! Open this door!” I ordered.

The sounds of shuffling could be heard.  _ “No!” _

“You’ve been inside this shack-

_ “Hut!” _

“This  _ hut _ for two days! You need the sunlight, you need some food, and you just plain need help.” I told her. “So come outside!”

_ “Sparkle of Twilight, I am not coming outside and that is final!” _

I groaned loudly. This girl was more stubborn than Applejack. “Don’t make me use magic on you again.” I warned the teenager.

_ “Ha! Try it!” _

Well, what kind of friend would I be if I ignored her request? My human hands glowed with a pink-purple glow, soon it built to surround my whole body. One bright flash later and I was standing inside the hut, my back to the door.

“You asked.” I told the unseen Morgan. It didn’t take long to find her.

The Hut was very small. It was large enough to fit Morgan’s bed, Lilac’s bed and a mini fridge. The rest of the place was covered in Morgan’s old clothes and somehow old carpeting. The walls were the only thing I knew the princess had no control over since Lilac painted them.

Said princess was hiding under her covers, thinking it was protecting her from reality.  _ ‘To help my friend,’ _ I told myself. The blanket glowed with my magic and was ripped up, making me gasp to see the figure beneath.

Morgan was a visual wreck. Her hair, which was already crazy by normal standards, had split ends and possible knots all over. Her face shone with tears, drool and mucus. She was holding onto a blue teddy bear close to herself. Tissue boxes were all around Morgan, the tissues were practically being a second blanket.

My friend sniffled. “...hey...” She whispered.

I stood there in shock. I haven’t seen Morgan this bad since Lilac went to the Dragon Migration. Even when Darcy had died the second time, I hadn’t seen her like this.

“Morgan…what happened?” I asked, crouching down and taking a tissue in my magic to try and clean her face.

“Nothing. Stubbed my toe on a table.” Morgan grumbled.

“Morgan, we’ve been friends for three years. I’ve learned to pick up when you are lying.” I told her. The black haired girl clutched the bear tighter. “Will you tell me what’s wrong? You’re worrying Lilac.”

Her demeanor slowly changed from pain to worry. “I am?” I nodded, some of my navy blue hair falling towards my face. “Oh.”

I tried to gain eye contact with Morgan, but she turned herself over. I sighed. “Morgan, come on. You have to tell me eventually.”

The girl was silent.

“Please, Morgan, please tell me what’s wrong.” I pleaded, my eyes starting to water.

The girl was still. Sighing again, I lifted myself up.

“It started when I was ten.”

I sat myself back down.

Morgan slowly sat herself back up, rubbing her elbows slowly. She never looked at me. “You know the most of it. I found out about Traveling on my tenth birthday. You probably remember what Anna, my friend, told you about when I told my classmates.”

Concentrating, I remembered back to when I had met Anna Bellingham. She had explained, briefly, how Morgan had been mocked as a child. I remember at one point the teenager said Morgan’s arm had been broken.

The black haired girl scratched the back of her head. “Yeah. It was not an enjoyable experience. They made a lot of insults at me. A couple they thought I wasn’t listening, but I was. A few others were very direct about it. Humiliating me in public.” Morgan wiped her tear filled eyes. “Many a night I spent in tears. Sometimes, I couldn’t even make it back home to cry.”

I rubbed her shoulder. “Morgan...”

“So, if it got to a point where if I had to, I ran into the restroom and cried. Either until a teacher came to get me, or I stopped.” The teen moved about in her bed, avoiding my eyes. “One time, I even remember I just ran out of the room almost in tears. I cried in that closet for ten minutes.

“But that, that wasn’t the worst day. The worst, the worst fucking day of my life was when that bastard William Hobertson and that motherfucker Seth Brown,  _ pushed _ me down two flights of stairs.

“I landed on concrete, Sparkle of Twilight,  _ concrete _ . I had to go the hospital and get stitches, and a cast. For a month, I had to look at what they did to me. For the first time, I had physical proof I was being bullied. I was too much of a coward to tell anybody, and they knew it.” Morgan admitted.

My friend wiped her eyes again. She sat up and started speaking fiercely. “Can you imagine how I reacted when Seth walked into my office? How many emotions I had buried from almost a century suddenly come up and explode?! To find out he not only knew what I was, but that he was a bigger jerk about it because I did it before him?!” She burst into tears, crying into her pillow and clutching that teddy bear like her life depended on it.

I patted her back. “I’m sorry, Morgan. And is that why you locked yourself in here?”

Morgan nodded. She calmed her tears down, wiping them away with her blanket and pillow.

“Oh, Morgan. This isn’t healthy! At the very least, you need to take a shower! Rarity would faint if she saw this place!”

Morgan chuckled, which was weird to hear amongst her tears. “Yeah. She probably would. Pinkie would try throwing me a party.”

I let out a small laugh. “She  _ has _ been trying to convince Lila to bring her here...” I mentioned.

My friend sniffled. “It’s just...I  _ try _ . I  _ try _ so hard and it always falls apart. I tried making friends, I tried getting you and our friends home.” She sniffled again, hiccuping too. “I tried saving Darce. More times than that whor-” Morgan paused, her face in a grimace. She had been cutting back on her swearing as of late. “- _ girl _ deserved. I just wanted things to be good. Not perfect, not great, since I know that there is no such thing as a perfect day, but good.

“All I wanted was a happy ending. Is that too much? One stupid happily ever after. I’ve lost friends over my lifetimes. I’ve lost them. I’ve seen others get everything they ever wanted. What do I get? I get everybody who could possibly understand me turning on me!” Morgan sniffled. “They all think I’m some stupid ten year old kid who can’t carve a shank out of her toothbrush!”

“Ye-what?” I asked.

“But that’s not even the worst! Some people think I’m a slut! Or a delusional madwoman who is going to kill everybody the second they blink. And Tracy, the witch that she is, is trying to control my life! She keeps trying to tell me that I’m not performing my duties as a Traveler Royal.

“And my family, don’t even get me  _ started _ on my family!” The amber eyed teen groaned.

“I wo-” Morgan interrupted me.

“They hate me! I know they do. Once they found out I had been keeping this secret, it’s like every time I turn around I see them! They always ask me where I went once I get back! They make sure I’m being some goodie two shoes. It’s like the don’t trust me anymore. They all hate me. Every last one of them. Stupid jerks.

“So, is there any question as to why I decided to lock myself up in this place?” Morgan finally said.

I blinked. “Uhh...” I said nervously. “How long have you kept that all...in?”

The Traveler sighed. “Since I was ten, I guess.”

I blinked once more. “Wow. That is really unhealthy.”

Morgan chuckled. “Yeah. It’s not great.”

“You should really talk to him about that.” My hand reached out to her, taking a firm grip on her knee. “If you talk through your problems, you can work it out.”

Morgan scoffed. Her angry face faded, and she clutched that bear even tighter. She looked around her hut before her eyes landed on me. “When did you get so optimistic?”

I smiled kindly. “When you taught me to be.”

Morgan gave a sad laugh. Her eyes watered. “Sparkle of Twilight, I can’t even look at him. It hurts too much.”

With that, I knew what I had to do. Like Morgan, sometimes you have to be drastic to get your point across.

==DMLC==

_ Morgan _

The office had been reset to it’s original look. Gray walls, no bed, and very few additives. For the most part I had keeping it cool looking, but this fit my current mood. I’ll probably remodel it tomorrow, stupid teenage mood swings.

It’s all so much more simpler when I’m Raspberry Stardust. Raspberry is a confident, easy going Princess. She watches over her daughter without being ridiculed by her peers. She would hang out with her friends and not have to hide.

Morgan Spencer can’t. Morgan Spencer was weak, put down teenager. She has panic attacks, she has nightmares, she can’t look after her daughter without being criticized. She lost her sister, killed all those people, and put her family in danger. Morgan Spencer was a loser. Raspberry Stardust was a princess.

I would love nothing more than to go to Equestria with Lilac and stay there for weeks and weeks, but I can’t. In all honestly, it was a month until my birthday. My 16th/200th birthday. I have aged only four Morgan years in seven human months, the lowest I’ve had in years. I managed to synchronize the days here with the days in Equestria, and I wanted to spend some of my birthday there. Maybe even see Mia again.

Tracy told (ordered) me to finish some of the paperwork on the new people, and read up on the Traveler laws. Not very many, to be honest. They were boring compared to mine.

I did get some good news. Lila had made the paper work! It can send messages from beyond our dimensions! It smurfing worked! That made my day.

Lila had called me into the office after that, saying she had wanted to show me how it all worked. It was fairly simple. It was actually worked inside two different books. The best way to explain it is like two cans connected on a string.

It’s actually nothing like that, but if it helps. They were closer to text messaging in book form, but not messages in a bottle. I was so proud of myself for finally getting it right!

“Morgan?” A voice spoke up.

I looked up towards my door. I was back in my office, updating my Plan for  _ Equestria Girls _ . Twilight was standing in the door frame, looking in with apprehension. Our talk earlier didn’t help the awkwardness, but I knew one thing that would.

“Sparkle of Twilight!” I cheered, standing up from my rolling chair. I ran up to her, grabbing one of the books and handing it to her. “Look at what we made!”

It was a small-ish journal. Eight and a half inches long and six inches wide. It had little double-rings on the side keeping it all together. The front cover was hard, with little inch big circles in various colors and inner patterns. The background was white and a special kind of sparkles that didn’t get on your fingers no matter how hard you scratched it. The back cover was the same, but without sparkles.

Twilight looked down at the book, confused. “A...journal?”

“A journal, that can send messages through the universal walls of our reality!” I explained excitedly.

Her purple eyes widened. She started walking out of the room, and I followed her. I guess she had wanted to show me something of her own. “How can it do that?”

“Okay, I explained texting right?” I asked Twilight.

My fellow Princess nodded. “Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending brief, electronic messages between two or more mobile phones, or fixed or portable devices over a phone network.” Wow, that was almost straight out of a dictionary. Of course it was, Twilight always paid close attention to humans.

“It has that same principle. This is one of two journals, the other is back in my office.” I explained, pointing at the sparkly journal she held. Twilight guided me into the elevator, and I joyously walked in. She pressed one of the buttons and we started going down. “One person writes in the first journal, and it appears in the second.”

“But, texting required satellites so the message can actually go through.” Twilight pointed out. The doors opened on the second floor, so I continued walking with Twilight. The scholar was a fast learner of the human world. “That’s why you need a signal. You explained. The phone network.”

I nodded. “For the journals, that satellite is the dimensional wall. Lilac’s fire acts as a send button, so the message actually goes out. Then it works itself through the walls of our reality, to the receiving journal.”

Twilight slowly nodded. She looked down at the book as she absorbed the knowledge. I was just bursting. I always liked it when those things worked. My Plans, brilliant Plans. This was going to be so great if I could use it as I intended!

She guided me down a hallway. Maybe she wanted to continue our talk this morning. I hope not. I never really liked it when people saw me like that. Kinda of a traumatic experience from when I was a kid.

It was one of the few events Seth didn’t orchestrate. It was another random kid, and I was in third grade. I had burst into tears in class, he called me out on it, and I ran away. Horrible feelings.

I got him back, though. Oh, I got him back.

Twilight stopped by a door, starting to look excited at the book. “So, it’s like texting, but with journals?”

I nodded, starting to shake I was so excited. “Yes!”

Twilight confusedly look up at me. “Why would you make that?”

“It’s for the thing coming up soon-the Princess Summit.” I revealed.

Her purple eyes widened. She groaned, face palming. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.” I laughed. “We can’t have a normal event, can we?”

I shook my head. “Don’t think normal can exist for you,  _ Princess _ Twilight.”

My friend rolled her eyes. She nervously looked to the door, wringing her fingers. “Um, hey Morgan, can we talk in private?”

I sighed. “I wondered you brought me here.”

Twilight nodded. She opened the door. “Just step inside.”

“Is this an intervention?” I jokingly asked, but with a bit of worry.

Twilight stared at me, sad determination in her eyes. “Yes.”

Her hands started to have that familiar magical glow. My eyes widened once I had that strange sensation of being lifted in Twilight’s Magic. She lifted me into the room, and I saw why she was using her magic.

In the corner of the room, sitting there looking brown out of his mind, was Seth Brown.

“Sparkle of Twilight, you let me out of this room right now!” I ordered, trying to fight off the purple/pink glow on my body.

Twilight shook her head. “Not until you and Seth get along!” She argued. “I made this room unable to be escaped by you. I made a spell to counteract your newer traveling ability to travel without a focus. The air vents is too small to fit in, and as you can see there are no windows. You’re stuck here until you two work this out. I’m sorry, Morgan, but you’ll thank me for this later.”

I glared at Seth, hatefully. “Not gonna happen.”

“Then you are going to be in there for a long time.” Twilight stated.

The door glowed with her magic, before closing us off from the outside world.

==DMLC==

“I’m gonna kill that unicorn.” I growled, five minutes later.

“I know.” Seth droned.

“She is going to die the second she lets me out.” I paced the room, gripping my hair in my anger.

“I know.” Seth droned again.

“Maybe I’ll rip off her horn, and stab her eyeballs with it.” I growled, starting to paw my hands like a supervillain. “And then, I’ll switch around her books in her library. But not a bunch at once. I’ll switch two on each shelf, with two on another shelf, and I’ll do that in the entire library.”

“Woah.” Seth commented. “That one, that one actually sounds mean.”

“That’s just to start.” I ranted. “I’ll do a spell so that it does that every time she puts them back!”

“This is actually starting to creep me out now.” Seth admitted, moving closer to the corner. “I’ll just sit over here.”

I was still angry at Twilight. She locked me in here without any food! I mean, I guess I could trick her and escape if she opened the door for food? No. There’s a hatch on the door. Dang, this unicorn’s been getting smarter since I brought her here.

To stop pacing, I marched over to the corner opposite Seth’s. I know I was being a giant baby about it, but that didn’t matter to me. In the years most crucial to my determination of self worth, that douchebag knocked me down (quite literally). I didn’t have friends because he made everyone think I was a freak, and that was long before I even started Traveling. He would humiliate me in class, cut me out of the games at recess.

Hell, once he even took some of my lunch! That was the equivalent of taking my lunch money! I thank the Story that the lockers were too small to be stuffed in!

Now he was sitting here. In my building, like he didn’t do anything. The bastard came into this building because of what he was, what we were. How dare he call me a freak when he had the same powers! That fucking little hypocritical douchebag!

A part of me had always wanted to see him again, if only to scream my pain at him. Now he was here and I couldn’t look at him. What the hell do you say to your childhood bully? What the fuck are you doing here? Why the hell did you treat me like you did? How was I supposed to survive being pushed down a fucking flight of stairs?!

Crabapples. I’m so angry I’m swearing. That’s a little embarrassing.

I took a breath, trying to calm myself down. Screaming at Seth would get me nowhere, especially yelling without a real point. In order to have a proper argument, I would need to start small and work my way up.

“How’s Oakley?” I tried.

Seth seemed a bit relieved, apparently he had expected the yelling. “It’s okay. Not much changed. I mean, it has been weird after your dad left.”

I understood that. Dad used to be the bible teacher, female basketball coach, and pretty much the unofficial guidance counselor. It would be kinda weird once he left.

“How is he?” Seth asked.

I shrugged. “Alright. Principal of a school, math teacher, bible teacher. Not a big change.”

Seth let out a dry laugh. “Yeah. Mr. Spencer was a cool dude.”

“Cooler dad.” I said.

Okay. Friendly small talk. That’s a step in the right direction.

“You had braces.” Seth said suddenly.

I quirked an eyebrow, actually turning to look at him. “What?”

“Back at Oakley, you had braces.” Seth said. “I remember because one time a mom brought caramel apples for her son’s birthday, and you told her that the five kids in class with braces couldn’t eat those.”

I laughed. I remember that. We were in sixth grade, with a class of sixteen, and four other kids were sitting hungry while others ate. The mom had apologized, saying she had forgotten about us. My own mom kinda lectured me later, about how rude my comment was and that I should have just accepted the apple with a smile.

That might’ve been better. The mom would have seen my braces.

“Yeah.” I laughed. “I was good at those, innocent yet sassy comebacks.” I looked at him. “I remember you would always walk to the bathroom on the other side of the school just to get out of art class.”

Seth chuckled. “She was making us do black and white drawings. I can’t draw.”

“Neither can I, but I at least did the class!” I joked.

The two of us laughed. We spent another ten minutes talking about the old days at Oakley. Then, we got to the topic I had been waiting for.

“You were a jerk.” I snapped.

Seth accepted that, seeming a bit relieved yet terrified. “Wow. I expected more screaming.”

“I have a daughter, need to stave off swearing.” I excused myself. “You know, a daughter I had while Traveling, like a Traveler. You get it right?”

Seth sighed.

“Being a Traveler? Isn’t it a wonder? Walking around a completely different universe? Being in a TV show, or a movie? How great is that?” I was starting to growl, rising up from my corner.

“Morgan-”

“I mean, you get it right?” I argued. “TV shows are the best! Seeing your favorite characters in screen? Nothing  _ freaky _ about that!”

Seth flinched. “Morgan, come on-”

“What’s wrong, Seth? You’re acting  _ freaky _ .” I snapped. “Don’t you like traveling, and knowing other people can do it?”

“I haven’t Traveled!” Seth shouted.

My argument stopped.

Seth looked seething. “My parents have tried seeing if I can Travel at all, but they can’t bring me with them. I can’t Travel and I’m almost seventeen years old!”

I blinked. That was actually a very big deal over here. Lila herself was fourteen when she Traveled, Katelynn was fifteen, and I was ten. Delilah was eleven. Seth being seventeen and not going anywhere was a shameful. His parents not being able to take him along meant that he could Travel, just not enough to actually go there.

As if our old rivalry wasn’t bad enough. I was basically a nobody, made a princess because I was a prodigy, and I wiped out the previous regime, and he was the eldest person in his family and still hasn’t Traveled. It was kinda, cliche, in a weird way. He was jealous.

It didn’t really justify what he was doing. Not even close. The only thing it did was help me to better understand him. Here I was, a random girl in his class, ten years old, screaming that I had Traveled. It might have been a bit maddening. It would explain an occasional hateful word or spat.

It does not explain why he shoved me down the stairs. At this point I don’t completely care about the words. I was a freak, and that made me more awesome. I was a weirdo, and that made me an original. I had no friends, but I didn’t need shitty friends like they were.

No. Those stairs could have killed me. Seth tried to murder me. If the teacher hadn’t heard the screams of the others, I might not really be here. That’s scared me more than anything he did. To think your life lied in someone else’s hands, whether or not you lived or died. It keeps you quiet.

Not anymore. I’ve been a cop for some of my almost two hundred years. I had been face to face with George Foyet, and that fucker is messed up. I have felt too often the fear of having someone control my life.

“And what? You want my pity?” I snapped at him. “Boohoo, poor Seth Brown can’t Travel yet. That makes my entire screwed over childhood better. It was all my fault, accepting Delilah’s soul when I was baby. Maybe I was better off dead.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Seth argued, through hissed teeth. “You should have just kept your mouth shut! Seriously, did you ever see those alien movies? Did you see ET? Or any movie where they hurt the weirder thing?”

“Saw it?” I scoffed angrily. “I lived it!”

Seth glared. “Ever heard of humility? Keeping your damn mouth shut?”

“I was ten! What ten year old would shut up about finding out they had superpowers!” I asked. “The only ones I can think of were told ahead of time that it would break rules if they said anything.”

Seth grunted in annoyance. He stood up and walked a few steps closer to me. “You know, you were always a snobby brat. You were practically screaming that you were better than anybody else, just because you had super powers!”

“I was trying to get a friend!” I shouted. “Because you and all those others kids hated me! I thought making myself interesting would get one of you to like me!”

“Well, it didn’t.” Seth spat. “It made you the school freak. Look at the bright side, at least now you were interesting!”

I huffed. “I don’t know what Twilight was thinking. We’re  never going to be friends.”

“Fine by me.” Seth said, storming off to his corner.

Oh, now I was fuming. “You pushed me down twenty feet of stairs, bullied me for seven years, and made me feel like a freak. Revenge is best served cold. So, Seth Brown, beware.” I pointed a warning finger at him. “Cause I owe you a fall.”

To prove my point, I whistled the sound of a fall. My hand slowly fell in tune with the music until I made the sound of a crash.

I had given these people too many of my tears, I had given them too much power over me. I am done. I am just done with them! Seth thought he had dealt with me when we were kids, that he had won some big fight.

Today a war starts, when it ends depends on when my vengeance is earned.


	3. Chapter 03

The morning sun came in through our small window. Thankfully I had the foresight to know it was a poor decision to have a big window that faced the rising sun.

Lilac was already up and about. I guess she went up to the house to get breakfast. She had taken to do that, seeing as I was always the last to get up.

Some might wonder about moving into the hut. It was more of a personal thing. I wanted Lilac to have that same feel of being back in Equestria, with our own home with just the two of us. Plus, it hurt too much to be in that house for too long.

That was gonna be our house. Lilac, Darcy, and I. We were all gonna move in, and be a real family. My parents were gonna meet them and accept them with open arms, and after awhile they might even  _ like _ Darcy. Darcy might eventually like then in return. How awesome would that be?

I know they love Lilac, they loved her the second she meet them. It just didn’t feel like a family without Darcy. It never did. Five years had passed for me since she died, and still hurt like it happened yesterday.

After her first death, I felt like I saw her everywhere. I thought I saw her at school, but realized it was just my reflection. She was at the bookstore, the mall, restaurants, everywhere. She was there at the Dalek Crucible, promising to destroy me.

Then this time it got worse. She died in the Real World. In the movie, she could bring herself back, not here. Reality doesn’t play by those rules. The grave at the Centre was the only place I was willing to bury her. I could never visit her in a graveyard, it would remind me of all the times she died. At the Centre, all I would have to look out my window.

So, I made this hut to try and make peace with her death. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and my pride refused to let me say this was a bad idea.

I yawned, stretching my arms out. Once my bones finally adjusted to their natural position, I got up out of bed. My hand reached out for my phone, checking the time. I had plenty of time before school started.

It took maybe ten minutes to get all of my stuff together. I opened the door to the hut, but it was jammed.

“Huh.” It wasn’t that odd. The door would occasionally get stuck by weird stuff like a rock, or my little brother’s toys.

Usually, a quick jerk would fix it. I tried this repeatedly, but the door was stuck. I might have to call Dad over to pry it open. That was always fun, bringing Dad to the hut his teenage daughter lived in. I tried prying the door opened again, but it wouldn’t budge.

Well, actually, it did. It finally opened, and I face planted on the dirt ground below. I brushed off the dirt on my clothes, and looked to see what jammed my door. Strangely, nothing was there.

That was strange. I shrugged, thinking maybe the door just needed to be repaired. It was foggy out today, which was nice. That meant it might rain. Rain was always good, gave me an excuse not to clean my car or the hut. Then I noticed some leaves stuck onto my shirt. The ground didn’t have leaves, and my hut was at least ten feet from a tree.

I brushed off the leaves, picked up my backpack, and kept on.

Then, something walked across my foot. I squealed, jumping up in my shock. It was normal(ish) to have bugs come around the hut. I was a big enough slob to leave pizza crusts around. It was probably just another leaf.

“Okay. That’s weird.” I commented, noticing my new vantage point.

I was standing  on the fog.

I screamed, falling off and landing on the ground with a thud. I looked between my feet and the fog, wondering how in the hell I did that.

“Mom?” Lilac’s voice came out from the house. She walked out from the back door, a worried look on her face. My mom followed behind her, putting herself in front of Lilac in a protective stance.

“Morgan?” Mom called out.

I stood up, holding out my hands. “Stand back!” Whatever was going on, I knew it wasn’t safe. The last thing I needed was for either of them to get hurt by this thing.

Mom looked confused, but then she gasped. She was looking behind me, and clinched away. “Lilac, honey, go back inside!”

I tilted my head. Was she seeing whatever was doing this? Turning in the direction she was looking, I saw the problem.

Remember that tree that was ten feet away? More like ten  _ inches _ away now. One of the branches had grown out, stretching out to where I was standing.

The tree wasn’t a very strong tree. It was a weak, little tree that was more like a weeping willow then any other sort of tree. The leaves looked a lot like the ones that had been stuck to my shirt.

I couldn’t help but grin. Weird trees, me standing on clouds, me jumping up high enough to land on fog, and a door that wouldn’t open. Oh, this was just what a needed.

“Mom!” Lilac cried out worriedly.

“Get inside!” I advised, keeping my eyes on the tree. I started back up, slowly making my way to the house. “Woah!”

Out of nowhere, I felt something grab my foot. It dragged me to the ground, which hurt a lot more than people think.

“Mom, are you okay?” Lilac cried out.

“Go inside!” I advised a bit more forcefully. I pushed myself up off the ground, holding a hand out towards the tree, and one towards Lilac. I looked and saw a strand of ivy wrapped around my ankle. “I can handle it!”

The Storyline was less than merciful. It started moving towards me in a rapid pace. The ivy only my leg tightened. I yelped, trying to kick at the plant. It only made it worse!

In a brief moment of childishness, I stomped my foot to try and get it off. Surprisingly, this got rid of the ivy.

Unfortunately, that did something go the fog overhead. The clouds converged, forming a far more normal looking cloud. The cloud launched itself at the tree.

The cloud vanished in a puff. The tree shrunk back to it’s normal state. 

I looked over to my mom and Lilac, hopping I hadn’t finally gone insane and the last five minutes were all my psyche collapsing.

From Mom’s dropped jaw, and Lilac’s wide eyes, I knew that I was in for a very fun day.

==DMLC==

Through some kind of hellish miracle, it got less fun. Tracy, the boring person she was, managed to ruin what would be a fun investigation.

She ordered (and I do mean ordered) I bring in  _ expert help _ . Okay. First she ruined my day, and then she implied I can’t this on my own. I am making an effort to not be insulted!

Tracy had the Ponies brought in.

I had restyled my office again, mostly to stave off boredom. It was set up to look like a log cabin. Dark brown couches, wooden wallpaper, and a dark green carpet to look like grass. I even had a fake fireplace with some dragon fire.

The door burst open.

I glanced to the door, boredly. I was lying on the couch facing the door. It was a nice soft couch, relaxing me. It kept me from wanting to choke Tracy to death.

Their appearances had changed since they were here last.

Twilight was wearing a tight t-shirt the same color as her coat. It had some room, of course, for her wings. A pair of light purple shorts went barely to her mid upper thighs. A belt that matched her mane was wrapped around the shorts. Some white socks went under her purple sneakers. Her mane was different too. Not so much in color, but design. It was more…elegant. Her horn jutted out between her bangs. The rest of the mane fell towards her mid-back and curled outwards.

Applejack’s mane stayed the same. She now has a dark red neckerchief around her neck, a pale yellow tank top and orange farm-style cardigan. A pair of bright orange shorts took place of her jeans, worker boots were still on her feet though.

Rainbow Dash was way happier with this outfit. A black wrap around her chest that made it easier for her wings to get out, long cyan blue jeans, red and black sneakers, and black fingerless-gloves on her hands. Her rainbow hair was the same, though slightly more wind blown.

Pinkie Pie had a fun outfit. A white shirt that reached belly button with very thin spaghetti straps, cotton candy pink shorts that went just over her rear, upper thigh high socks, and sky blue slippers. Her mane was the same amount of crazy it always had been.

Fluttershy kept saying her’s was nice. A white shirt tied at the front ends and room for her wings, long butter yellow jeans with a rose pink silk belt, and teal blue Egyptian shoes.

Rarity was a glorious fashionista. A pure white t-shirt with long sleeves, a plaid black skirt with dark gray stripes and a string of three diamonds hanging off the white belt. There was a pair of black high heels on Rarity’s feet. Her white horn jutted out just before her even more glorious mane.

Spike, he looked the same. It was actually a little funny. Purple hoodie and Capri shorts, green shirt and sneakers.

“Raspberry!” They all cheered.

I, on the other hand, scowled. “Guys.”

Pinkie ran up to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I feel like I haven’t seen you forever!”

“It’s been a month for me.” I said in a monotone voice. “Let’s get started. Sparkle of Twilight, Applejack, come see.”

Getting up from the couch, I marched over to the flower we put in the room for when they showed up.

My arm reached out, hovering over it. I watched the ponies’ expressions as I felt the flower do what I had been doing all day. They gasped.

Twilight walked up to the flower pot, Applejack at her side. I crossed my arms over my chest, angry again. Applejack looked up at me. “Ya just...ya just grew that flower like it was nothing!”

“And I’ve been doing that all day.” I growled, marching over to my couch. I fell onto it, face in a scowl. “That’s not even the worst part.”

“Worst part?” Twilight repeated. “This wasn’t some new trick?”

I glared. “Sparkle of Twilight, I grew a flower from a seed in five seconds! How is that good?”

Twilight blinked, confusedly looking between the plant and me. “I thought it was another trick from the Reality Watch.”

The Reality Watch was one of the tools I had picked up over the years. Some were little things, like Jimmy Neutron’s storage cube, or my old Kimunicator. The Reality Watch was a big thing, that I made into a small thing.

It used to be known as the Reality Gauntlet. Now it was a plastic purple watch with four glowing gems as buttons. It came from the show  _ Danny Phantom _ . Danny was about to blow the gauntlet to bits and pieces, but I grabbed it as the last second and wiped his mind. As far as he knew, it was bits and pieces.

It was a stupid, reckless idea. I did it anyway, and I use it for horrible reasons: to stay lazy. That and remodel my office when I was in the mood. It saved on money.

Because of it’s now unassuming form, no one really noticed. It was a strictly kept secret, known only to the Mane Six, Lilac, and Lila. They all knew not to tell anyone who I hadn’t spoken to.

“Seriously?” I half snapped. “I used that thing to make those stupid honey oat muffins Tracy gave me into scrambled eggs. Do you really think I would use it to grow a stupid  _ flower _ ?” The last part came out as a growl.

The girls all flinched back. I did too once I heard how angry I sounded.

“Sorry.” I apologized to them. Sighing, I rubbed the vein on my forehead that Darcy loved pointing out. “This thing with Seth’s driving me up the wall.”

Rainbow came up beside me. “Did you really declare war on him?”

I nodded. “I know, I know. I was thinking impulsively!”

“Morgan, Rainbow, the flower.” Twilight reminded us.

“It’s a pretty flower!” Pinkie cheered, holding up the potted plant. “A Lilac, right?” I nodded.

“You said this wasn’t the worst part.” Twilight reminded me.

“Tracy thinks you six were the best to call, so I brought you here.” I explained. “Can you think of what’s causing this?”

Applejack shrugged. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Do ya know if know if other people on Earth do this?”

“I’ve only heard of fairies and wood nymphs growing plants at that rate.” I explained.

“Could it be the plant itself?” Twilight theorized. “We’ve been around her more and more lately. Our Equestrian Magic could be rubbing off on the plant life.”

I shook my head. “We’re pretty certain it’s coming from me.” I shrugged, getting annoyed. “And Tracy says if we don’t fix it, she’ll have to report it.”

Rarity scoffed. “I don’t know why you keep her around. That Katelynn mare is far better company.”

“Mom and Dad hired her.” I explained to Rarity for what felt like the billionth time. “I do anything she doesn’t like, she tells them.”

“You have a babysitter.” Rainbow chuckled at my expense.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I have a glorified babysitter.”

“Morgan.” Twilight recaptured my attention. “Flower. Magic. Bigger problem?”

That brought me back to my current problems. “Right.” I got up from my seat, motioning to the flower. Applejack joined me. “So, it started this morning...”

The next ten minutes were spent explaining the events of the morning to the ponies. They seemed to understand the predicament.

“Wait, so you sat on a cloud too?” Rainbow seemed far more interested than before.

I nodded. “Now you see why Tracy wanted to bring you in.”

“But that’s pegasi Magic.” Rainbow pointed out. “Only Fluttershy, me, and Twilight have pegasi Magic here.”

There was a flicker of something in Twilight’s eyes. “And the earth ponies focus their magic towards the earth.”

“So, Morgan has earth pony magic and pegasi magic?” Fluttershy asked. “How?”

“I’m just lucky mores fix related things haven’t happened.” I said. “Like a magic outburst. That could be disastrous in more ways than one.”

Rarity nodded. “Quite true. Humans have a rather negative affect toward magic.”

“And Tracy wants this all fixed by my six o’clock.” I said. “Yay.”

Twilight’s hand glowed with her magic, hovering over the flower. The flower started to glow as well.

“She wants us to figure this thing out in under three hours?” Applejack asked. I nodded. “Why?”

“Search me.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t want to profile her. I’m scared of what I would find.”

“What’s more to know?” Rainbow asked. “She works too much, she hates having fun, and she hates you.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded.

“Well, she isn’t very nice...” Fluttershy commented.

Pinkie joined on the Tracy hating. “I tried to throw Lilac a double birthday party because of the ones I missed, and she said no!”

“Pinkie Pie, you were trying to set off a cannon in the break room.” I explained. I shook my head. “People here don’t like cannons being shot in their face.”

Pinkie only smiled at me, sinking down behind the couch. “You’ll see. I’ll win her over, just you see. I’ll make Tracy have fun.”

I snorted. Tracy having fun would be a sight.

“What about Anna, Caroline’s sister?” Rarity suddenly asked. She had her ‘idea’ face on.

“What about her?” I asked, a bit snappy.

Rarity was still smiling. “She could be your assistant! Your parents love her, she had good organizational skills and she’s-”

“Living as a missionary in Haiti.” I said, feeling my heart ache at when she said goodbye. “Care moved away too.”

You could feel it in the air, the sudden sadness. “Oh.” Everyone sighed.

“Morgan, we’re sorry.” Twilight apologized.

I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m fine. She was really excited about it.” They others looked sympathetic. “I said it was fine that she go. Care had been talking about it for months. She’s going to India after, building houses. Anna’s gonna be in France. And Maddie got an early scholarship to her dream vet school. She’s happy. They’re all happy.”

Anna and Caroline were asked to sign up for a missionary program that went with their church. It was easy for Anna to join, it was what she was going to do for college. She talked about it nonstop the month before graduation. Care had worked out some deal with my parents, since she skipped a grade. She was a senior now, which left me the only junior. She had brought her math book, and would do her math, that made Dad happy. Foreign language was given the okay from the get go, and the rest my parents said she could do when she got back. Senior year, my school was a little more lax with school work.

Maddie had always wanted to be a veterinarian. One had sent her a letter of early acceptance. She had already sent me a hundred photos of some of the cute animals she’s worked with, and given me some insights on her roommates. She was having fun.

They were all having fun, far away from me.

Pinkie put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m  fine .” I said, shrugging off her hand. “I’m fine. Grace is still in town, same for Becca and Lauren. Plus Katelynn with a K’s a good friend. Same for Lila, and you guys.”

There was a long pause, and you could feel it in the air. Their eyes were starting to tear up. They knew how much I loved hanging out with Care, Anna, and Maddie. It was sad to watch them go, but I expected them to go. I knew they would leave when I met them, that they would leave me. I had friends that I could lean on, ones I knew would last longer than the Bellingham’s and Maddie.

The ponies would last another ten or twenty years, if I’m being optimistic. Lila would last til she moved away for college, so three years on Earth. Katelynn with a K might stay past her internship, I hope. Then came Lilac, my Lilac. She might stay until she wants to start her own adventures, maybe even until she started her own family.

Oh. Calm down, Morgue. She’s ten. Let’s not worry about grandkids just yet. Plus, she might not even stay around long enough for that.

Twilight’s voice broke that, thankfully. “I can run some tests at the Library.”

I nodded, still somewhat stuck in my depressingly optimistic thoughts. Well, in that I was thinking that bad things would take a really long time.

The ponies walked to the door, apparently saddened to hear my friends had left. It was normal for me now, to have friends for a blink. The blinks get farther and farther apart the older I get, especially lately. That’s heartbreaking, when I think about it. It seems in the past decade I have lost more friends than ever before.

To add, weird things are going on with me.

Coincidence, I think not.


	4. Chapter 04

I got to the Library, just walking right in and towards her lab. A part of me was already regretting this decision.

Twilight had pulled out the Machine. The same one she used on Pinkie and me in  _ Pinkie Sense _ . Twilight even decked herself out in scientist gear.

Even better. Her wings were trapped underneath. That was cheerful.

I flew down to the laboratory, grinning at Twilight.

She glared, always the professional. She lifted the helmet.

“Come on, you have to admit you look a little funny.” I teased as she strapped the helmet on my head.

Twilight rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “I probably should have worn a pegasi lab coat.”

“Rarity can probably make you one.” I commented.

Twilight nodded, putting the last strap on. She turned on the machine, and got to work. “I know, but I don’t want to trouble her.”

“It’s Rarity.” I laughed. “She sees you wearing that, she’ll have a new lab coat by sundown.”

After a small pause, I heard a chuckle coming from Twilight. She walked over towards the data collecting point, making sure the paper wouldn’t jam. “Sundown? You don’t think she already has one made?”

I snorted. “She’s secretly been planning it ever since you became a Princess.”

Twilight gave me a slightly pained look. “If a lab coat is all Rarity has for me, I’ll be thankful.” She typed out some commands on the typewriter connected to the machine. “I love Rarity, and I’m glad she’s willing to do all this for us-”

“But, she can be overbearing in some of her more generous days.” I said

The alicorn gave me a look. It was more curious than angry. “How can you do that?” She asked. Her tone light, telling me she wasn’t angry. The machine whirred to life, and I could hear the various gears and knobs turning.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Just be, blunt.” Twilight said, coming to look me in the eye. “You’ve always been able to just...just say whatever a pony was really thinking, or what they’re really saying.”

I shrugged, slumping in my chair. “I don’t like people telling me half truths. If I tell them what they are thinking, they know I’m not fooled by them. That’s generally the point when they realize I’m actually a bit dangerous, and stop lying to me.”

Twilight walked over to her chair, giving me an almost pleading look. “But what if you misjudge? What if what you think they were going to say wasn’t even close?”

“I never guess, Sparkle of Twilight.” I reminded her. “That’s a rule.”

“Raspberry, sometimes a simple misunderstanding could ruin a whole friendship.” Twilight stressed.

“Calling me a whore and my daughter a waste of space is another way to ruin a friendship.” I snapped, the memory playing in my mind as if fresh.

Twilight flinched back as if burned. She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? You never said anything negative about Lilac, or basically said I should order her execution.” I nearly growled, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. “I am actually disappointed for one thing.”

“Just one?” Twilight commented dryly.

I rolled my eyes. “Hahaha.” I gave her a flat look. “You’re hilarious.” She gave me a ghost of a smile. “I’m disappointed Brown didn’t say anything about her, then I would be justified to you and the others.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “See! That’s a part of the problem!”

“Problem?” I half snapped.

“You just admitted to  looking for a reason to be angry at him!” Twilight argued. I huffed. Oh, Storyline no, she was not forcing this conversation. “I saw the two of you in that room, you were starting to get along with him! Then you just started to fight with him, out of nowhere! Did you even need to start that war?”

“I’m owe him a fall, Twilight.” I used her name, to show how serious I was.

She noticed. “Raspberry, you can’t do to them what was done to you. It’s not fair to anypony, especially you.”

I sighed, slumping in the chair.

“Done to you...” Twilight muttered. She lifted up some of the papers, searching through them.

Oh, that got my attention. She was using that ‘I have an idea, don’t talk to me.’ So obviously I had to talk to her.

“Sparkle of Twilight?” I called out, trying to get a better look. It was hard because of the weird helmet.

The purple alicorn just kept working on whatever theory she had. Twilight ran up to the machine, flipping levers and turning knobs.

“Doctor Twilight, I would like to know what is being done to me.” I asked.

The helmet lit up. It vibrated a bit, already starting to scan me again. I winced. It didn’t really hurt, more just felt uncomfortable.

“Twi...” I would have to dig deep to get her attention. “Yo, Purple-ly Pink, what’s your twenty?”

Papers printed out from the machine. I sighed, realizing Twilight was lost to Idea-land. The papers were taken away by Twilight, and read.

From the smile growing on Twilight’s face, I knew she had figured something out. She was starting to look giddy, but then she stopped.

The alicorn gave me a careful smile. “Morgan.” She said in a cautious tone.

“Sparkle of Twilight.” I copied her tone, but with more teasing.

My friend put the papers done, and shut off the machine. The little whirrs and buzzes cut off. I used my magic to get the helmet off my head, and walked over to the papers.

I read them over, my eyes widening. “Woah!”

Twilight laughed, but tried to hide it. “You don’t know what  _ any _ of that means, do you?”

“I don’t know what any of it means.” I said, in a surprised teasing tone. I lifted the papers in my magic and gave them to Twilight. “Translate please.”

Twilight took the papers, a kind smile on her muzzle. She came up to my side, and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You remember how we got our wings?”

Of course I remember that day. It was amazing. I can fly now, why would I forget the day I started? “Go on.”

Twilight nodded, showing me the readings. It looked like a bunch of wavy lines. “Okay, you see that pink line?”

“The one that looks like an heart rate?”

“Yes.” Twilight nodded. “That’s your unicorn magic.”

“Ahh.” I sarcastically replied in aw.

Twilight ignored that. “The green line-the one that looks like a wave- is your earth pony magic. And that blue line that’s more of a zig-zag is your pegasi.”

“And the orange one?” I asked, pointing at an orange line that looked more an excited heart rate, similar but not exact to the blue one. “Is that my Traveling?”

“No. That’s your alicorn magic.” Twilight paused. “ _ After _ , it integrated with your traveler magic.”

My eyes widened. I looked at the orange line again. Wait, why did I do? I still couldn’t understand it!

Twilight lifted up another paper. “See, this is my scan I took of myself after the event.”

It looked similar to mine. Her pink line was much more excited, saying she was pretty powerful. That’s cool. Her alicorn magic line was red, though.

“Noticed mine is red?” Twilight asked. I nodded. “That’s because of your special talent, traveling. You used to have a yellow line, in place of an orange one. After Starswirl’s spell took effect, your Alicorn magic merged with your traveled ability.”

I blinked, slowly putting it together. “I’m...an alicorn, even back home?”

Twilight nodded, starting to look a bit excited. “Yes! It’s amazing.” She lifted my readings. “Instead of leaving you with two different strands; an alicorn and a traveler, they merged into one!”

“It looks like this person is having a heart attack.” I pointed at the orange line. “Is it dangerous?”

“No, it not harmful to you.” Twilight explained. “It’s Equestrian, and like you said, Equestrian magic is peaceful.”

I nodded, still a bit worried. “Should it calm down?”

That made Twilight pause. “It should.” She checked my readings in contrast to her’s. “Your magic was probably reacting harshly with your emotions. Your negative emotions are stronger as of late, and your magic can sense that.”

Okay, that was weird. “So, my negative emotions are making this magic hostile? Have you ever met an American teenager who’s been in puberty for a hundred thirty years? You try stay cheery after that.”

Twilight nodded. “This is another reason to just end that feud with-”

“Don’t you even say his name, Twilight.” I snapped, pointing at her with my hoof. Twilight shut her muzzle. “I can’t end that feud. I know it’s childish, completely petty, and basically worthless at this point.”

Twilight stepped up beside me, her hoof on my shoulder. “Then why start one in the first place? The two of you were starting to get along, I saw that. Why did you stop it?”

“Cause if I stop fighting it, stop hating him.” I explained. “It’ll be like all of that was for nothing. He didn’t even look like he regretted it, Twilight. I was just a victim to him, and if I back out of ’re fight then he will win  _ again _ .” I started to shake my head, already feeling like crying. “I can’t let him, Sparkle of Twilight, not this time. He doesn’t have power over me anymore. I have to fight this to the end.”

My friend sighed. “I’m not saying to let him win, I’m saying to be the better pony and let it go.” She looked at me with sadness in her eyes. “I remember meeting a mare who didn’t care what others thought of her, only what she thought about herself.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t give up. Seth wouldn’t win this time. He made me feel like a worthless piece of shit for a century. I thought I was a freak, a nothing. How does someone just get over that?

That was a time that friendship was ruined for me, when I thought I knew what that was. How do you get over nobody helping you when you needed them most, huh? None of those other kids stopped it, some even went along with it. My own parents didn’t see it and I know for a fact Mom witnessed two of those life shattering events. Friends were only people who hadn’t stabbed (or shot) you in the back.

Not even Darcy, a girl who had some of my memories jammed into her, couldn’t help. She tried at the end, giving her life for mine, and I will never forget it. Whenever I thought of myself that way, she would convince me I wasn’t.

Twilight would never treat me that way, none of the Mane Six would. They were true, true friends. They helped me so much, would they really steer me wrong.

Stopping the feud was the best way to get these new powers under control. They were the best way to keep my friends safe. Yeah, no one got hurt yesterday, and that was a miracle. Next time we might not be so lucky.

“Alright.” I said. “Alright.”

Twilight began to smile. “Alright?”

“I’m not saying I won’t stop the feud.” I pointed out. “But, I am putting it on hold.”

The alicorn looked surprised. “Really, Raspberry? You’ll stop the feud?”

“If you think it’s the best, then alright.” I said. “You wouldn’t trick me, Sparkle of Twilight. I’ll stop the feud.”

With that said and done, I got up from my seat and flew off.

Rule One, She Lies.

==DMLC==

The walk home was calming, letting me try to absorb this information. I was a human alicorn. A human with the powers of an alicorn. My powers become haywire if my emotions reach a high enough point. For now, that included control over plants and some cloud walking. It could get more powerful as time wore on.

Some of the things I know about alicorns, based on what I learned from Mia and Twilight, is that they are basically immortal. It takes a lot to kill them. That’s a plus, I guess. They have aspects of all three pony tribes; unicorn, pegasus, and earth. They’re always powerful in their field. Those effects might take some trial and error to determine the dangers. My special talent was helping, being a Traveller was literally all I had.

Being an alicorn could have an effect on my other Travels. Some of my lives are supposed to be of perfectly normal people in a magic-free world, spontaneous plant growth won’t help. There are very few worlds where being an immortal horse is a benefit.

Mom and Dad would have a fit. They would demand that the powers be removed from me. It’s impossible, Twilight said the alicorn magic had merged with my Traveler soul. I was as stuck with it as she was, as all the other alicorns were. The immortality might be able to be removed, or at least weakened, but the rest was a big fat no.

I rolled my eyes, already able to see their unhappy expressions.

My ear flicked backwards, suddenly, hearing a small whooshing noise. I glanced over my shoulder to see what could have caused it.

In Ponyville, noises like that weren’t uncommon. It could have been Pinkie, or maybe even one of the Crusaders. Hell, it may have even been a leaf.

But I wasn’t that stupid. I could feel the hairs on my neck stand.

It was actually easier, when being tailed, to let them tail you and then let them corner themselves. So I continued my walk while keeping an ear out, making sure whoever was following me was still there.

I walked three more blocks before ducking into an alley. Once in the alley, I found a hiding spot up in the fire escapes. I trotted inside and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. This guy was an amateur.

A golden yellow pegasus trotted inside. He had a blown back black mane, orange eyes, and a jar of honey for a cutiemark.

Wait…that jar of honey. It looked familiar. Where had I seen that honey had before?

The jar of honey, it was the exact same jar of honey from the beret!

The beret was a gift from River Song, way back when. I had met her in the Library, and started talking with her. It took her awhile, but I eventually got her to reveal the beret. Okay. I admit, I was the one who she had to be convinced.

It was raspberry in color. Inside the hat were four stitchings, which I recognized as my stitch work. There was a some other stitchings, which I later figured out were for me, Lilac, and Darcy.

The only one I couldn’t figure was the fourth stitching. The cartoon jar of honey over a heart. Whoever this stallion was, it was important. I just had to figure out if it was the dangerous type of important or not.

The yellow pegasus looked around the alley before I pounced him. I leapt down from fire escape, grabbing the surprised stallion’s shoulders. Before he could fight back, I pushed him up against the wall.

There was a loud thud. The stallion momentarily fought against me, until he got a good look at me. I used one hoof to keep him down, the other I kept back to use as a fist.

“Who are you and why are you following me?” I asked the stallion.

The stallion looked kinda strong, strong enough to best me in a fight but weak enough for me to do the same. I hoped that I had the upper hoof right now.

His eyes got all glossy for a moment, a slap fixed that.

“Tell me why you were following me before I get mad.” I nearly growled. When I get messages from myself I take them seriously. 

The yellow pegasus just stared at me, shocked. “My n-name... uhh...is...B-Bumblebee. Yeah. Bumblebee. That’s my name.”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed harder onto his neck. It can’t be as stupid as that.

“I know a fake name when I hear one. Who are you?” I said angrily into his face. He was starting to look terrified.

“My name is Bumblebee!”

It was obvious he wasn’t gonna talk or tell me his real name anytime soon. Whoever had trained him, trained him good and I have too much stuff to do to interrogate him. I backed away from the yellow pegasus, letting him fall to the grassy floor. He coughed a couple times before looking up at me.

“Don’t follow me.” My dark pink wings flared and I shot up into the sky. I’m glad I learned how to fly from Rainbow Dash.

Hearing the sounds of wings flapping, I looked back to see Bumblebee chasing after me.

“Wow, I cut off his air for too long.” I groaned. “That actually worked.”

Stopping mid-flight and resting on a cloud. I nonchalantly looked down at my hooves. He flew right on by, making me laugh.

After the dumbass realized that he was no longer chasing me, he flew back to the cloud I was on. He was hesitant, as if realizing that I saw him as an idiot.

“Look,” I started “From what I can tell, you aren’t gonna leave me be until I listen to you. So, start talking.”

Bumblebee nodded, moving a cloud next to mine. He fumbled with his golden hooves before turning to me with his orange eyes.

“I was following you…because… I wanted to know if you wanted to go out sometime. Not that I would have to build up courage, I was just waiting for you to be ready for it.”

“Uh-huh. Right, of course.” I said in a serious tone. Clearly, this ‘Bumblebee’ had a bit of an ego.

“So, you wanna go out sometime?” ‘Bumblebee’ asked.

I blinked. This seemed a bit surprising, and out of left field. “What?” I asked, flinching back a bit in confusion.

‘Bumblebee’ held up his hooves, as if to calm me down. “Hold on. Just one date.”

“A date with a guy stalking me?” I pointed the flaw in his logic.

‘Bumblebee’ paused. “Good point. When you say it like that, it’s bad.” I was about to say more, but he held his gives up again. “Hear me out.”

“One minute, and then I throw you.” I warned.

The Pegasus nodded. “One date. It goes sour, and we go different ways and never look back.” He explained. I was staring at him in shock. “Come on. One date, and then you’ll never see me again.”

I had to admit, never seeing him again would be a highlight, but at the same time Future Me sent me a message with his cutie mark. This date could help me figure out what to do with those powers, or maybe even help my feud with Seth.

Plus, I needed to know who he really was. The fake name would only get me so far. The closer I got to ‘Bumblebee’ the closer I would get to an answer, and find out who really sent him after me.

Woah. Hold on. Maybe I’m too paranoid. Next I’ll start saying Seth sent this guy after me. I probably need to relax, which would be good under my new circumstances. A relaxing Saturday. It was a bit much to ask in Ponyville. Anything to get my mind off the feud. You always get inspiration where you least expect it, as they say.

So I answered. “Sure.”

The yellow pegasus looked stunned for a moment, but a quick shake of his head made him show a confident smirk.

“Great. You free this Friday?” He asked me.

“No. I’m expensive.” I snarked.

‘Bumblebee’ laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. See ya at seven.” He said before flying off..

“How do you know where I live?” I called after him.

I was there for a minute and watching him fly off before I realized something. I was almost 200 years old… and this was my first date. Wherever Darcy was, I’m sure she’s laughing at me.


	5. Chapter 05

The next morning, I immediately set to work. There were a lot of things I needed to plan for. The first thing had to be helping Twilight with her investigations on my powers. Then there was this stupid date I agreed to.

Then came more business like plans. The Feud and  _ Equestria Girls _ . The movie was easier to work with, thankfully. It was almost too easy.

Okay. Never mind. Pretend I never said that. When I say that, it hits the fan.

I walked into the Carousel Boutique. Rarity had certainly kept the place clean, which I find a miracle with the Crusaders sleeping over every month.

“Rarity, I need help with Twilight.” I called out to her.

There was a small thud from upstairs. Rarity’s hooves echoed across the marble in her home.

“Is it Tuesday already?” Rarity asked as she entered the room. Her calendar lifted up in her blue magic. 

I snorted. “No. That was yesterday.” Now that whole day made sense.

Rarity laughed, gently. She walked up to me. A clipboard hovered beside me. “What did you need?” Rarity asked, a feather pen coming up.

“Twilight needs a new lab coat.” I began. “Her’s doesn’t have wings holes. I would have brought it with me-”

“Oh don’t even say it.” Rarity shuddered. “I’ll make Twilight a new one right away.”

“Remember. She likes it simple.” I reminded her.

Rarity nodded, writing that on the clipboard. The two of us began walking up to her room.

“It’s more functional than fashionable.” I went on. “A plain white lab coat.”

Rarity kept her focus on her clipboard, trotting up the stairs. “I know, I remember her birthday party.”

That made me laugh. “Yeah.” That was a funny party, and it gave me a great chance to bond with Twilight.

Who I had lied to.

Nope. No guilt. I did what I did so that Twilight would leave it alone. Shift my focus, shift my focus.

Rarity and I were at the door to her workshop. 

“Was there something else you needed?” Rarity asked, looking down at me with curiosity.

I don’t know why, but I was nervous. It shouldn’t be that difficult to ask Rarity for this.

“No questions, please.” I pleaded. “One simple dress. No glitter, sparkles, bells, or sequins.”

Rarity’s eyes started to grow, even sparkled. The dressmaker squee’d. “You want me to make you a dress?! Oh, whatever for darling?”

I sighed. This was a horrible idea. “Pinkie promise not to tell. I mean it. I don’t want this getting out.” I glared.

Rarity stopped squealing. She was taking it seriously. She did the motions, Rarity looked me in the eyes. “What is it, Raspberry?”

A beat. “A date.”

A blink. “A date?”

A nod. “A date.”

“You’re...going on a date.”

“One date, then never again.”

“You, are going on a date, this Saturday.”

“Yes, Rarity, a date. Three hours with an annoying stallion, and then I will never have to see him again. Fair trade.”

“Have you ever even  _ been _ on a date, darling?”

“Most girls would be insulted, but I’m not. Never been on a date before. I think I should start calling this a trade off, instead of a date.”

Rarity gasped. “Your first date, and you don’t want me to make you a flashy dress?”

“Flashy dresses are to impress, I want to get it over with.” I stated. “One. Simple. Dress.”

“You don’t want to impress him?” Rarity asked, actually sounding a bit surprised.

An argument started in my throat, dying before it could reach my lips. Didn’t I usually want to impress? It was my default.

I didn’t want to impress him. He was annoying, with a big ego, and poor a conversationalist. He was one good point was offering to leave me alone when the date failed.

Morgan Spencer does not go on dates, no version of Morgan has ever gone on a date before. The only thing that could get me to say yes to a date was for Future Morgan to tell me. Well, look at that she did. That was actually a kinda sad thought, that I needed my future self to give the okay.

This date wasn’t for romantic purposes, as Rarity probably thought. It was to get this guy off my back, a distraction so I wouldn’t crack under pressure. This was a ploy to help me fight Seth.

Plus, a simple dress would be easier to run away from the date in. It would be easier to clean, easier to move in. If, you know, Rarity made it simple enough.

“But it’s your first date!” Rarity whined. “How could you not want it to be as magical as possible!”

My eyebrow quirked. “Rares, I don’t want to impress him. Why would I?”

Rarity gaped at me like I made some slight at her newest dress. “But-you-wha-huh?!” She dropped her jaw. Due to cartoon logic, it hit the floor.

A chortle from me.

Rarity shook of the dismay. She ran up to me, picking up my hoof with her’s. She walked me over to her measuring stand. I lowered my head, sighing. Rarity was nothing if not determined.

She started to measure me again, taking notice of my wings. There was a firm pour on her face, and she worked at a slow pace.

She sighed, dramatically. “Ah.” 

I ignored her.

Rarity perked up at me. She sighed again. “Ah.”

Oh, I knew I would crumble soon. Her sighing was annoying. She was my friend, and I loved her, which meant she knew my buttons.

“Simple dress please.” I said, in a prideful tone.

Rarity huffed. She continued to measure me, letting out another loud sigh.

She was getting closer.

“Maybe make it dark green? Dark green has been an interesting color on me.”

Rarity huffed. “Green is a horrid color on you, Raspberry.”

“Blue?” I knew I was rolling her up. It was the only way she would break first.

“Darker blues would blend in with your mane, and lighter blues take away focus from your beautiful complexion.” Rarity said. “Wings?”

I stretched one it, careful not to smack her in the face. She was working hard, still trying to break me.

“Purple is a much better color on you.” Rarity said. I winced. “Or black.” She stepped away from my wings, coming up to look me in the eyes. “What does this stallion look like?”

I have her a look. Rarity gave one back. “I’m only asking.”

“Yellow Pegasus, medium build, black mane that was stuck in a blown back mane style. His eyes were gold, like honey.” I recited.

Rarity hummed innocently. She started measuring my front hooves.

“I thought he was stalking me.” I argued.

“I didn’t say anything.” Rarity teased, grinning at me.

That made my eyes roll. “You were thinking it.”

The dressmaker wrote down my measurements. She smiled coyly. “Medium build?”

I didn’t look her in the eyes. “We were in a fight.”

Rarity giggled. “Raspberry, please. A lady never kissed and tells.”

Okay. This was worse then the dramatic sigh. This was downright embarrassment. This was humiliation.

“I’ll give 70%.” I offered. “Better?”

Rarity smiled, proud at her victory. She cheered loudly. “Oh, I know just the thing for you.”

I sighed, giving her a grin. Rarity pulled out some purple fabric, and I looked at it with a bittersweet smile.

Darcy always said I looked good in purple.

==DMLC==

The Centre was even more boring when I got back.

“And that homework?” I asked over the phone.

Lilac giggles. _ “I did most of it, but the history work is hard.” _

“Mrs. Riley is tough on you kids.” I said in a mockingly scolding voice. Lilac giggled again. “You should pay her more respect.”

_ “Mom!” _ Lilac laughed.

I knew why history was tough on her. She only knew Equestrian history, nothing of Earth history. Not even our jointed holidays had the same backstory. Christmas, Halloween, World Wars, famous historical figures. It was bound to be a tough thing for her.

Lilac was a trooper, though. She worked with the heart of a Crusader, not giving up even with things get tough.

“I know you can do it.” I encouraged. “And remember, Lilac, Wikipedia is only your friend when it makes sense.”

My daughter laughed again.  _ “I remember, Mom.” _ Lilac laughed. She stopped, her voice going serious.  _ “Can you help me? You know, after work?” _

I smiled, touched by the request. It always felt weird when Lilac asked for help. Not because I didn’t think she should, no, but that  _ my daughter _ was asking for  _ my help _ .

“I promise, Princess.” I said. “But no slacking off. No chance my daughter is gonna fail in history. It’s when a Stardust is at her lowest that we kick behind.”

_ “Go Stardusts!” _ Lilac cheered.  _ “Bye Mom!” _

“Bye Princess!” I cheered back before Lilac hung up on the phone.

A part of me wanted to tell her about the date. I was Morgan Spencer, lonely teenage girl, again. I was the girl who had never been asked on a date before. I wanted to tell all of my friends about it.

Then I was harshly reminded Morgan didn’t have any friends. All of her friends moved away. She wouldn’t see them again. Anna was traveling the world, being a minister like her parents. Maddie was taking care of animals, like she always wanted.

And Care...

Caroline Bellingham. She was gone. She was never coming back, not as Morgan’s friend. She would be coming back as a student, the senior of my school. She would graduate next year, then leave again.

Why even bother reconnecting with her when she was only going to leave again? Why even try, when she’s only going to break my heart?

This date was a total joke anyway. No one wanted to ask me out on a date. Who wants this life with me, really? No one. My own daughter is still having trouble adjusting. My sister became a murderer two days after meeting me!

‘Bumblebee’ was probably one of those guys who just wanted an ego boost. Asking out the new princess, who has never been on a date before.

Someone started knocking on my door. I sighed when I remembered it was Tracy with my six o’clock.

“Ugh.” I groaned. Why couldn’t Katelynn with a K and two N’s just work here permanently?

_ “Your Majesty.” _ Tracy’s dull voice droned.

“Come in.” I rolled my eyes, already hating this.

She wasted no time opening my door. She guided herself in, her eyes practically do all the instructing.

I will behave myself. I will not lock the person in the hallway. I will actually talk to them. I will not kick the person. She was just taking the fun out everything, wasn’t she?

Tracy curtly nodded. “Princess Spencer.”

Correcting her was useless, as Tracy would keep calling me by a royal title. That woman didn’t have a stick up her ass, she had a whole log.

She let herself out, keeping the door open enough for the person to walk in.

A teenage boy walked in. He had unruly blonde hair, brushed back to perfection. Deep brown eyes, worriedly staring at the floor as if I would smite him. His skin was pale, probably too much time in his bedroom. He was dressed in what I assume was his Sunday Best; a blue button up shirt with khakis, and a shiny black sneakers.

His face is what got me.

“Jimmy?” I gaped.

The boy looked up at me, his brown eyes going wide. “Morgan?”

It had been centuries since I saw him last. He was my friend back in kindergarten, but moved away to Washington when we were seven. It was hard to forget the first person to befriend you after you move, especially when you were friends for four years. To a seven year old that’s a lifetime.

Tracy walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Jimmy just stood there jaw dropped.

“You’re the Princess of Travelers?”

“You’re my six o’clock?”

We stared at each other for a few more seconds, adjusting to this bit of change. Then we burst out laughing.

“If my fourth grade teacher turns out to be a Traveler, I’ll give my crown to Tracy and just be done with it.” I said, only half joking.

Jimmy smiled at me. “How long has it been for us?”

“On Earth? I’m gonna say eight years. For me, it was a hundred ninety two.” I explained, adding a smile at the end.

Jimmy whistled. “Wow. I used to be older than by you five months back in pre-k.”

“How long for you?” I asked.

“Just a couple decades.” Jimmy shrugged. “Nothing too exciting like what you’ve been up to.”

I winced at the comment. He didn’t mean to bring up those incidents, but they just came out I guess.

Jimmy apparently noticed my reaction. “Oh, shit. Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s alright.” I surprised myself with that comment, but managed to hide the emotion. Anytime anyone mentioned them, I started screaming internally. What made Jimmy any different? Why was I so much calmer when he brought it up, but wanted to kill even a stranger? 

It’s because they were strangers, I realized. They didn’t know anything about me, or the situation. Jimmy wasn’t like that, he was my friend in kindergarten. Thick as thieves, King and Queen of the World. I chuckle when I realize I have basically become Queen of the World. Royalty is a bitch.

“I should have thought-”

“Jimmy, quit whining, okay?” I teased, lightly shoving his arm. He was always a bit of a worry wart. “It’s alright. I know what really happened, not those jerks.”

Jimmy smiled grateful. “Woah. Thanks.”

It was a bit confusing (and maybe the littlest bit touching) that he remembered me. I mean, yeah I remembered him but that was because he was the first to go. Jimmy was the first friend that ever abandoned me, no letters, no phone calls, nothing.

But, I couldn’t stay mad. As much as he hurt me, he helped make me who I was today. A part of me felt like it was always waiting for him to come back, like we made some promise that I just forgot as years went on, but the feeling behind it never faded. Your first friend defines you who are, in a way, so I guess I was defined always waiting for the right one to drift on by.

And I’ve had a lot of drifters.

I got up from my desk, grabbing my phone and putting it in my pocket. I motioned over to my dark brown leather couch.

“Let’s get started.” I said, walking over to lie down. I made sure not to change it to a giant purple bean bag chair. The last thing I needed was for information of my Reality Watch getting out.

“Right.” Jimmy nervously stuttered. “Uh, let’s.”

He followed me, sitting on the couch across from me. He smiled, though it looked forced. My guess was his hair usual fell over his face, like Fluttershy’s, so he was unused to having it brushed back this nice.

I got comfortable, turning to Jimmy with a smile. “So, I have to interview you to ask question about your relocation to the South Carolina District.” I winced. “Oh, that sentence made me want to vomit.”

Jimmy laughed. His smile vanished and he gave me a serious look. “How did you know it was me?” He asked.

Technically I was supposed to ask him questions, but this is fine. “How can I forget you, Jimmy? We were best friends back in kindergarten.”

“Yeah, but.” Jimmy squirmed in his chair. “I mean, from the rumors, that was centuries ago for you.”

“One century, nine decades, two years, eight months.” I reacted before I thought. “Oof. Hate when my subconscious remembers before I do.”

Jimmy laughed. It faded quickly into awkwardness.

I picked up a clipboard Tracy had left behind. Didn’t really notice, but I make an effort not to notice much about her. “Jimmy Cipes. Sixteen, A+ student. You travel to comic book based things mostly, with the occasional comedy thrown in.”

“Yeah.” Jimmy winced.

It did feel awkward reading over this file. “Marvel fan. Nice.”

“You like Marvel?”

“My brothers do, big time.” I explained. “Nerdtionaries I call them. Nerd dictionaries. We pretty much only bond over Marvel and  _ Once Upon A Time _ .”

“So you saw  _ Avengers _ ?” Jimmy asked excitedly.

“Twice.” I said. “Then I lived it.”

Jimmy’s eyes bulged. “No way.”

“Way.” I cheered. “I was a superhero, and rocked it!”

Jimmy laughed. “A superhero? Seriously?!”

“Yeah. What are you when go?”

“Mostly the, uh, Nerdtionary.” Jimmy admitted.

I laughed. “Dude, this is just awesome.”

“Awesome?” Jimmy snorted. “All of the things you do, this is awesome?”

“Well, I mean kicking a monster in his face or forging a society for Dalek/Humans is pretty awesome.” I shrugged.

“Sorry, what was that last one?”

“But how often do I see someone from my past that I actually  _ like _ ?” I laughed, tossing the file back onto the desk.

Jimmy was surprised by this. “You, what?”

“I like you, dude.” I got up from my seat. I walking over to Jimmy to lightly punch his shoulder. He rubbed it, a smile slowly coming to his face. “You’re way more chill than when we were kids. I remember once you stepped onto an anthill, and cried for an hour.”

Jimmy chuckled, nervously. He squeezed his hands together. A nervous tick, probably. “Yeah, well.” He looked up at me, rising up from his own seat. “ _ You _ were scared to ride a bike, because you thought you would fall and die.”

I winced. “Lots of people are scared of bikes! You shut up!” I defended myself. “My brother crashed on his bike. It was scary!”

That made Jimmy met. “Still scared of bikes? Aren’t you almost two hundred?”

“Rumplestiltskin is three hundred and is  very scared of pipes.” I argued. “Plus, Jack Harkness is over a hundred, and he’s scared of those furbies.”

“Scared of furbies?” Jimmy chuckled.

“He says they look like technicolor gremlins.”

“Wait. Jack Harkness.” Jimmy paused. “ _ Doctor Who _ ?”

My eyes widened, and a mischievous smile was on my face. “You watch?”

Jimmy gaped “You lived?”

“For about four years, yeah.” I nodded. “That was years ago. I was 179 then, stopped when I was 184.”

“Did you get caught?” Jimmy asked, looking a bit afraid.

“No. Plan fell apart.” I admitted. My voice tightened at the end, the memory of Donna’s last moment on the TARDIS playing over my eyes.

I shook it off. “Went back a couple times. Took my brothers with me,  _ The Next Doctor _ is Terence’s favorite.”

Jimmy was still worried. “That sounds really dangerous.”

“Wouldn’t be an adventure if it wasn’t.” I said.

Truth was,  _ Doctor Who _ was the hardest place I had ever Traveled to. Some places, I could have the excuse of being psychic. Others I could just say the right thing at the right time.  _ Doctor Who _ was hard because what really could I do without the Doctor finding out that the entire thing was a show in another reality? My reality?

That would lead to an extremely awkward conversation. I was a Time Lady in that reality, taking away that from him might devastate him more than losing Rose.

Plus, any time someone died that I couldn’t save he would get uncharacteristically angry at me. I liked being Three, thank you. I am in no rush to be Four.

“Where’s your mom, anyway?” I asked, desperate for a change of topic. This was supposed to be an interview anyway.

Jimmy squirmed in his seat, squeezing his hands together. “Mom is working at the aquarium in Charleston. She wanted to be here, but her boss needed some extra hands.”

I nodded. His file (I read ahead) said that his dad was out of the picture. Tried being a hero during a bank robbery. It was only two years ago, but I’m guessing it had been longer for Jimmy and Mrs. Cipes.

Looking down at my watch, I saw it was already 6:15. Wow, time flew. I blame awkward silence.

Wait. That meant it was almost time for dinner. Lilac and I always had our homework done before I let us have dinner. This was gonna be barely enough time to do one English paper.

“You know what.” I clapped my hands, picking up his file. I ran over to my desk. “You’re good.”

“What?” Jimmy asked, getting up. He walked to me, worried.

There was a small red stamp, my cutiemark being the symbol. I put some more ink on it, then slammed it onto his file. “You’re good. I approve.”

I held out the file to him, an expectant look on my face. Jimmy looked at it with concern. “Approve?”

“You and your mom are good. You can come here and stay.” I said, quickly. “Go on, take the file.”

Jimmy still didn’t look convinced, or maybe he was in shock.

“I’m not going to deny it, not a chance.” I admitted. “I’ve got a Southern heart. It’s full of sweet tea, hospitality, and coming up with similes faster than a horse at the Kentucky Derby.” I pushed the file into his arms. Jimmy struggled, but eventually was able to hold the file.

“Seriously? Just like that?” Jimmy asked. “I thought you’d be furious at me.”

I just gave him a kind smile. “Why would I be angry at you, Jimmy?” I blinked. “I mean, I know why, but I guess the better question is ‘why should I be angry?’, and then I would probably ignore it anyway. I’m good at that.”

My old friend smiled, grateful. “Morgan. I-There aren’t words.”

I laughed. “Yes there are, you just can’t find them.” I patted his shoulder. “I’ll give you time.” Then, I shrugged. “Saturday. 8. Kick Ass 2 came out today, and I don’t really want to be there opening night.”

Jimmy’s eyes bulged. “A movie?”

“Yeah.” I picked up my Infi-Purse, pushing Jimmy towards the door. “Regal Palmetto Grande. 8’clock. August Seventeenth. Be there, Cipes.”

By that time, I had already made it to the door. I shoved Jimmy out, following behind him.

Tracy was on us before we could make it another step. “Princess Spencer-”

“I gave him the seal of approval.” I argued. “He’s fine, and so his mom. Thank you, good bye.”

With that done, I made my way down the hall.

“You were in there fifteen minutes!” Tracy barked. “That’s barely enough time to get to know them!”

“Sherlock was an expert of Moriarty after knowing him two minutes. Fifteen was plenty of time.” I argued, not even looking back. “I actually need to help my daughter with her homework. Please feel free to let yourself out.”

Tracy eyes burned the back of my head. I ignored them, continuing on to the stairs. “Your Majesty, you still need to-”

“Give my daughter an education. You are right. Good day.” I said, curtly. I opened the stair door.

“Your Majesty!” Tracy snapped.

“ _ I said good day! _ ” I snapped back, slamming the door behind me.


	6. Chapter 06

The Badlands of Equestria were, well, bad. The grounds had once been a part of Equestrian society, with lush grasses and flowers. It wasn’t the biggest, or most notable area. There didn’t use to be the biggest city, predating Manehattan in excellence. It was a simple town, full of the three tribes in harmony.

There was no big storm that caused them to change into the Badlands, or a curse. It was more of a hostile takeover. A deadly species known as the Dreadwings came. They resembled the pegasi, all with black fur and feathers.

They infected the land, as the earth ponies enhance it. The earth ponies did try fighting off the infections from the Dreadwings, but as more of them came the stronger the infection became.

Within a month, the land of Cornecope became the Badlands.

By that time, most of the Equestrians had left. Few had remained on their ancestral land, saying it was their home. The Dreadwings were banished by Princess Celestia, but too late to save the Bandlands.

The ponies that stayed work hard to rid the infections, but at a great cost...

Her origins were the furthest thing on Queen Chrysalis’ mind. She was too busy preparing her daughter for her future rule.

“Cyanide.” Chrysalis growled. Then again, anything was a growl when Chrysalis said it. “What became of the ponies that we captured and the changelings who captured them back in 995?”

The changeling sighed. She looked like a small version of her mother. The only differences being the location of her holes. Even her hair, a slimy dark green, was cut exactly like her mother’s. Her tiara was also just a bit smaller than Chrysalis’ own.

She picked up her pencil, swirling it around in her hoof. Anything was better than listening to her mother go on and in about the past.

“Cyanide!”

The princess flinched, dropping her pencil. “What?” She squealed in shock.

“Pay attention!” Chrysalis yelled.

Cyanide internally groaned. A part of her wanted to rebel against her mother, but that desire was instantly shoved aside. She was just a princess, her mother’s first born. It was her responsibility to take control over the Hive when her mother died. On that (somewhat) sad day, Cyanide would ascend to the throne and continue to spread the fear of changelings throughout the world.

Oh, that would be fun. Cyanide couldn’t wait to be the very thing invoking fear in those pathetic ponies. It was going to be glorious, taking down those annoying Princesses. Especially that Raspberry Stardust.

It would be a bloodbath.

“Yes Mother.” Cyanide grinned deviously.

Chrysalis knew that look. She chose to ignore it, feeling proud. It was good for future Queens to find their first natural enemies. Her’s had been a pony lord named Golden Shoe. She had killed him a few days after her coronation.

Changelings were a brutal race. It was normal for a Queen to commit a kill within the week of her rise to the throne. It would have been shameful if it was a first kill. Chrysalis had killed many before Golden Shoe, and she had killed many more.

If not for Raspberry Stardust, she would be killing other Equestrians.

That unicorn, she has ruined everything. Chrysalis heard she became a Princess, same for Twilight Sparkle. It made the changeling queen grin. That just made Raspberry a bigger target, made her easier to find. It would be almost too easy to kill Raspberry now.

If only Garfield Logan hadn’t told Chrysalis to back off. After they attacked Raspberry in the Everfree Forest, Logan had warned Chrysalis not to get close. He had stressed that Raspberry had forgotten about the attack, but she would connect any dots if Chrysalis were to get involved.

Logan. Now that was a player Chrysalis wanted removed from the board. He had been a thorn in her side since they met ten years ago. He was an earth pony, yet he had access to magic not used since the time of King Sombra. She had spent too long trying to forget the feeling of his magic grabbing her heart, his black eyes glowing.

He had barely aged a day since they met years ago. Logan intrigued Chrysalis by bringing her two ponies as price for a job. They later turned out to be his own parents, which Chrysalis found strange, seeing a pony give up his parents just to foalnap a foal.

Well, foal is the wrong word. More like  _ hatchling _ .

It was supposed to be a simple collection. All her changelings soldiers had to do was grab that hatchling, then come back to the Hive. A five month old hatchling, yet they still mucked it up!

A camp out. A camp out had ruined their simple plan. Her changelings slaughtered the rest of the household, leaving too much evidence of their arrival.

Then, some six years later, Raspberry Stardust found a way to get revenge. That unicorn ruined the entire invasion; setting the prisoners free, giving them a chance to escape, and allowing them to create that love shield!

Chrysalis was enraged. Logan was the one who came up with their new plan of revenge. Raspberry exposed her, so she exposed Raspberry.

Now, even the ponies knew what she was. A betrayer.

The Queen shook herself out of those thoughts, getting back to her daughter’s lesson.

“The changelings slaughtered the household, with the exception of two daughters and one granddaughter.” Chrysalis explained, getting back to her earlier question to Cyanide. “Cyanide, tell me why we had the soldiers executed.”

Cyanide grinned, as she usually did when execution became involved. “They left witnesses.”

“Correct.” Chrysalis said. “You never leave behind a witness. If somepony sees you feed, you feed of them as well. The same applies with killings.”

*knock* *knock*  ** _*ZAP*_ **

“Who is it?!” Chrysalis snarled towards the entrance to the chamber.

A lone changeling stood in the doorway, the wall right beside his head leaving a trail of smoke. He was shaking, slightly.

“Mi-Mister L-Logan, M-My Queen.” The changeling bowed.

Chrysalis and Cyanide looked at him shock. The earth pony had only had conference by letter since they attacked Raspberry. To have him come to the palace, far enough to get a changeling to send word, was unsettling. 

The changeling’s next words were even more so. “He’s with the prisoner.” 

==DMLC==

He was just standing there, when Chrysalis found him.

His coat was so dark brown, it was nearly black. The black mane on his head was cut in the form of a military guard, not a mane out of place. His tail was cut to the same perfection. He was a strong earth pony stallion, his legs thick with muscles. As a cutiemark, he had a leather bound journal titled on it’s side, tied closed with a black thread. On the cover of the journal was a black tiger’s paw print.

He had again not aged since their last meeting. It was as if Logan only existed when he came to speak to Chrysalis.

Garfield Logan was standing in front of the cell of the prisoner, his back to Chrysalis. It was his preferred standing point when speaking with the Changeling Queen. Because of the special nature of this prisoner, the cell was a cocoon. It was exactly like the cocoon used to hold Celestia after her defeat at the Wedding. You could make out the silhouette of the pony inside, curled in the fetal position as if it were a foal waiting for their time.

He seemed to sense her presence. Chrysalis briefly wondered if he had taken control of her when he grabbed her heart, now possessing the ability to tell where she was because of the dark magic Garfield had at his side. Chrysalis would have brushed that theory, if she actually knew anything about dark magic.

“My Queen?” A changeling guard asked. “What are your orders?”

Chrysalis kept her eyes on the unmoving Garfield. A part of her hoped he was dead, and his body had yet to crumple. “Leave us, and make sure we are undisturbed.”

“My Queen.” The changeling began, shocked by this order. “He broke into our Hive, into our most defended vault! He killed every guard posted at this door!”

The stallion snorted, as if the news pleased him. Chrysalis felt no remorse for their loss, only annoyance at needing to have them replaced.

“My orders stand. No ling is to enter.” Chrysalis stated.

“Bu-”

“Are you questioning your Queen?” She barked.

The guard’s eyes couldn’t shrink like a pony’s, but they would have. He marched out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind him.

“You’re late.” Logan commented dryly, almost in disdain.

Chrysalis stood taller, as if Logan was looking down at her. “My daughter needed to instructed on her behavior while I was in this meeting.”

Logan snorted. “Kids. Gotta love ‘um.”

Chrysalis was intrigued by his comment. She would think he hated children, given his reaction to the Stardust Slaughter. He didn’t seem to care that two foals had died, he had practically ordered that the other two follow. She had never met a pony that dark heartened.

She trotted closer to him, gazing to look at the prisoner. “Was there something you wanted?”

The dark stallion grinned. His grin made Chrysalis feel the small shred of fear in her veins. “I’m finding myself in need of a changeling.”

Chrysalis sneered. “What for?” She growled out.

Logan glanced at her, as if she were a child screaming about not getting a cookie. Oh, she hated that look on his face. “Since when did my requests earn questions?”

“Ever since you appeared in front of  _ this _ prisoner.” Chrysalis pointed a hoof at the cocoon.

The pony inside didn’t move, not even a breath. She was practically dead to the outside world.

“I don’t care about  _ her _ .” Logan said with an eye roll. “She’s perfectly fine where she is. No, the changeling I’m looking for is walking around this hive free.”

Chrysalis kept her growl. She would end up giving him what he wanted, she had never wanted to have him controlling her heart with dark magic again, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. “What is it to be used for?”

Logan turned back to the cocoon. “How long have you had her in this?” He asked.

The Queen slammed her hoof down.

“Oh, now that’s mature.” Logan commented dryly.

“What is it you want of that changeling?” Chrysalis barked. “And why come to this cell?”

Logan snapped his head towards Chrysalis, so fast Chrysalis was surprised it didn’t come flying off his head. His black eyes stared right into her soul, and for a second she felt that choking feeling over her heart. She couldn’t help but back away from him, her hoof reaching up to her chest in remembrance of that pain.

He stood up, taking a steps towards her so he could convey the seriousness. Even though she was a good two heads taller than him, Chrysalis hadn’t felt this small before.

She should have killed him. Any good Queen would have killed him ages ago. Why hadn’t she? Sure Chrysalis had been curious about his utter lack of care, hoofing over his parents, but that curiosity had left fairly quickly. He was a liability now. He was a threat. Why wasn’t he dead at her feet? Why hadn’t she blasted him into nothing but ashes?

Because she knew she would fail. Once she failed, Logan would kill her. Simple as that. He was a genius, but a dark genius. It was like looking at Raspberry Stardust in a dark mirror. Chrysalis saw herself how brilliant that unicorn was, taking apart her entire plan and helping her complete it. She saw Raspberry manipulate her way into the plan, helping in it’s downfall. Logan was the opposite, he was the one who started the plan. He was the one who pointed Chrysalis at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding, who told her about the best way to get the love out of Equestria that changelings had wanted since their birth. Logan was the one who directed her at the Stardust house, leading to their slaughter. He led the attack on Raspberry in the clearing.

Thinking more on that line of thought, it was almost like a game between the two. Garfield Logan, an evil mastermind concocting the most dastardly of plans. Raspberry Stardust, the hero who figured out the plan and saved the world.

Chrysalis had once called it flirting, she wouldn’t be surprised if killing her family was what Logan thought of as flirting.

“The cell was to get your attention.” Logan said in a dark scolding voice. “If I can get in this far, and kill your guards without as much as a thought, imagine what Raspberry could do. She still has no idea you were the one responsible for her exposure all those months ago. Right now she thinks she walked into a poison joke field.”

That much was true. After Logan had knocked Raspberry to the ground, Chrysalis had been the one to cast the spell taking off the unicorn (or whatever she was actually called) revealing her hideous true form. The one with a mane as black as a raven’s wing, and skin pale as the moon.

“Should Raspberry have a reason to come in, she would walk through the walls like they weren’t even there. You made no effort to hide that fact that this is your most valued prisoner. Raspberry would find her in seconds, and then set her free.” Logan pressed. “To use against you. What would your prisoner do if she was released? By a pony that’s fighting  _ you _ ?”

Chrysalis blinked, looking to the cocoon. She knew what the prisoner would do, the secrets she would expose, the weaknesses she would reveal. That prisoner was probably the creature most against Chrysalis and the Hive.

“Which changeling do you request?” Chrysalis asked.

Logan grinned. It was that condescending one that he wore as a second skin. “Cicadas have a lot of rumors on them, you know? That they live for seventeen years, that when they rub their wings together they create that sound they’re known for, or that their the symbols of rebirth or resurrection. The one I find the most is that when you see a ‘W’ in their wings it means war is coming.”

Chrysalis was mildly annoyed by the story. She got the message. He was a looking for a changeling mare named Cicada.

As strange as it was, yes changelings were boys and girls. It was easy to tell the difference, if you knew what to look for. The frills on their heads were an inch longer, and the carapace on their back was a lighter shade of blue. You would have to be somepony with a keen eye to color to notice that one, but it was there.

“We have many cicadas here-” Chrysalis began.

“The one I’m looking for has a brother.” Logan interrupted, sternly.

Now, technically, all the changelings were siblings. Much like in an actual beehive, the Queen would lay eggs and they would grow up to become changelings. Chrysalis had a special time of the month set aside for that specific purpose. Yet with so many, you can’t help but closer to some of the others. If two changelings bonded in the way of siblings, then from that day forward they were siblings. Sometimes this would happen between three, or four, and once even eight.

Point was, you could literally choose your own family. The only drawback was that they had to choose you too.

“Just one, and he would be the older of the two.” Logan clarified. “By three months.”

“Do you happen to have the  _ brother’s _ name, since you already know so much about the two of them?” Chrysalis asked.

Logan snarled. Chrysalis noticed that for the first time he had true disgust in his eyes, true rage. When the Invasion had failed, he had been greatly annoyed. When they first failed grabbing the hatchling, he had been mildly angered.

This, this was different. His eyes had the slightest glow to them. His legs clenched, as if holding back the urge to attack. Logan took a quick breath, visibly calming. That anger still lurked in his black eyes.

“I would rather not share that.” Logan said finally.

Chrysalis suspected something amiss. He had never asked for a changeling specifically, only a task. “What did the brother do to you?” She couldn’t resist asking. “Take away one of your toys?”

He sneered. Chrysalis gave herself a small pat on the thorax. This was a positive for her. She didn’t even need the sister, she could just give Logan the brother and have a bargaining chip. In exchange for the brother, she could make him promise the defeat of Raspberry once a-

She hit the wall before she could finish her thought.

Okay. Clearly the brother was a touchy subject.

“Give me the Cicada with a brother three months older, or I do that again.” Logan ordered.

He didn’t raise his voice, Chrysalis noted. His voice had that anger, that rage he had buried only minutes prior. Logan hated this brother with a passion, as much as she hated Raspberry. If not more so.

“Are you going to kill her?” Chrysalis asked. Not out of concern, more of that cat killing curiosity.

“I want her dead, but I need her alive.” Logan went on. He looked back to the cocoon. “I thought of anyone, you would be the one to greatly understand the purpose of a prisoner, rather than a corpse.”

“A bargaining chip?” Chrysalis mused. “For the brother? Is this going to help us with Raspberry?”

“It’ll help me, not you.” Logan said. “I have other underlings, you know.  _ Not keeping all my eggs in one basket _ , or whatever you changelings say.”

“But it will take down Raspberry?”

“Oh, it’ll cripple her.” Logan admitted with a dark smile. “When she finds out about this.” He paused, shuddering in joy. “The look on her face. I wish I could take a picture of it. She’ll be destroyed. She’ll spend the rest of her life stewing in her own guilt.”

“Why would she care about a random changeling?” Chrysalis asked.

“Because  I care about that random changeling.” Logan retorted. He made his way towards the door. “I expect her in an hour, alive.”

“Seven years.” Chrysalis suddenly said.

Logan paused. “Yes?” He drawled out, waiting to see what idiotic thing the Queen of Bad Actors said now.

“She’s been in there seven years.” Chrysalis glanced back to the cocoon.

The pony inside still hadn’t moved.

Logan nodded, making a small hmm noise. “Seven. In some cultures, they believe the number seven is the number for perfection. Who knows, maybe this’ll be the year you let her out.”

Chrysalis snorted. “Unlikely.”

Logan grinned, then walked towards the door.

“When will we take down Raspberry Stardust?” Chrysalis asked.

Logan kept walking, tilting his head. “What is the date?”

Chrysalis flinched back, confused at the question. “August 15th.” Chrysalis answered, confusedly. 

“Then, Chrysalis, I say everything is going as it should be. She‘ll come to us in a month, give or take a day or two.”


	7. Chapter 07

Wearing the dress Rarity made me, I waited in the living room. Bumblebee was taking quite a while arriving. Guess he liked keeping me on my hooves. I was gonna have some fun with this guy.

I mean, not that I was actually going to enjoy tonight. It would be a one time thing and then I’m out. Rarity had just used her weird socialite powers on me, getting in my head. Of course I noticed he was medium build, I thought I would have to kick his ass! The same for staring at his cutiemark, I needed to know if his special talent was kick boxing!

Oh. Wait. Did I not tell Rarity that last part? Doesn’t matter! My point still stands.

Lilac was staying with Applejack tonight, conveniently the Crusaders had a sleepover tonight. It felt like I had been seeing less and less of Lilac the past few days, especially after the first sign of my alicorn magic on Tuesday.

She was either being babysat by my mother, or her babysitter at the Centre. The most time I spent with her was when I helped her with her history homework. That’s it, tomorrow we’re having a bonding day.

*knock* *knock*

I let out relieved sigh. I got up from my seat, hoping my dress didn’t crease. This dress was actually pretty nice, I might want to use it at Home.

My magic wrapped around the doorknob, opening the door to reveal... _ him. _

Bumblebee wasn’t that dressed up, just a simple royal blue tie and collar. His coat was brighter than when I met him, something surprising because it was darker out. His black mane had been brushed, yet still had that blown back look. His honey colored eyes were just staring at me, as if unprepared by what he was seeing in front of him.

Rarity had made me a royal blue dress. It was simple, with the sleeves falling to my mid foreleg, and the back stopping before it could cover my hindlegs. My wings were resting on my back, thankful she hadn’t made the skirt into ruffles. The only real bit of flair was that Rarity had made the shirt with little silver swirls and spirals. I had done a spell on my mane, giving me bangs and making the rest fall onto my shoulders.

Makeup had been a fun argument. I said no, she said yes. We compromised and just went with lipgloss and some light mascara. Rarity said it sealed the entire outfit, and I didn’t dare argue with the mistress of fashion.

He was giving me a smirk, one I had seen on many trouble making teenagers. Oh, that look gotten me into so much trouble over the decades. Blame was on me, I kept falling for it.

“Hello Princess.” The pegasus said, teasingly.

I quirked a brow. “Just Raspberry, thanks.” I kept my hoof on the door. “So, how did you know where I live?”

“I live at the edge of town.” Bumblebee pointed over at Ponyville. “Mine is the house with the busted window.”

My house was on the edge of town, just a quarter mile east from Fluttershy’s house. From my home, one could see the last bits of Ponyville housing.

Sure enough, the last house before leaving Ponyville proper had a busted window. Otherwise it looked fine, plain.

“What happened to it?” I asked him.

Bumblebee shrugged. “Some dude broke in. Nopony was hurt, just made me realtor want me to move.”

As much as I wanted not to believe him, I didn’t. He sounded honest, and even looked like it from the way his eyes glance down at his hooves. The break in had damped his spirits, but not enough to stop him from living.

Huh, interesting. I guess Ponyville was so used to this stuff that a broken window was nothing.

It had to have been broken recently, if he hasn’t gotten around putting in a new one. I’d say a day, maybe two.

No. No working tonight. This is a break to get my mind off the feud and bring down Seth. That was it.

“So.” Bumblebee said in a chipper tone. It brought me out of my head, back to the present. He held out his foreleg so as for me to wrap mine around it. “Ready for our date?”

“This is not a date.” I argued, walking out of the house. My magic was used to kick the door, and place a protection spell over it. This was Equestria’s version of setting the alarm. “This is getting you off of my back.”

Bumblebee grinned. I didn’t take his outstretched hood, choosing instead to just walk alongside him. “Hey, you agreed that if didn’t have any  _ fun _ that it would it.”

“Yes, and?” I questioned.

“And, this just might be the most fun you’ve had in months.” Bumblebee said proudly.

_ ‘A month ago I was a smurf in Paris, riding on a stork’s back. The week before I was a detective arresting serial killers with Detective Beckett and Richard Castle.’ _ I thought, smirking.

“Oh, really?” I said, almost teasingly. “What? I can have fun.”

“Yeah, but you probably have work fun.” Bumblebee said.

The two of us started walking into Ponyville, with Bumblebee leading us. I hoped it was a short walk.

“Work fun?” I questioned the term. This coming from a girl who made the term  _ nerdtionary _ .

“When you make your boring job fun.” Bumblebee explained. “Like how ponies in offices have paper basketball, or something. You look like your work life was your real life.”

I was a bit shocked by that. It was partly true, my work had become my life. All day I would think about where I was going next, and how I was going to fix it. When I wasn’t doing that, then I was probably out doing the fixing. Even my time with friends and family was spent thinking of the next adventure.

Had it really been so obvious that a guy I had just met the week before had seen it? Had I become to lax that I was letting myself slip? Holy butterballs.

What? Southern people find creative ways of non-swearing.

“And from that look on your face, I bet you just realized it.” Bumblebee said.

My attention went back to him. “Is it that obvious?” I asked.

The Pegasus shook his head. “Nah, I just noticed you looked down when I asked you on this date. Like the whole world was on your shoulders, and screaming at you to pick it up.”

That one surprised me, making me reel back. Okay. I must be slipping if he saw  _ that _ much.

But, was he right? I mean, I was a princess and soon to be queen of planet Earth. You could argue that it was just the Traveler part of it, but think about it. Travelers were everywhere, in every government across the globe. Some even had jobs in the political world! Many put themselves in positions of influence, and as the queen I would have influence (or at least was suspected to have influence) over them. I technically ruled all of Planet Earth, some parts of Equestria, a small portion of the Ghost Zone (taking down Pariah Dark had it’s perks), and two other planets (the Doctor was just as surprised as I was by that news).

It was stressful, as any job was after a while. On top of it all, I had only just started my junior year of high school. I had all of that work to do, and helping Lilac.

Being Lilac’s mother is actually the least stressful. I would much rather help her with a life problem or homework then write another algebra equation.

And this guy figured it out. Biscuits. Who was this guy?

==DMLC==

“You took me to TCIF?” I asked the pegasus, brow raised.

Bumblebee nodded, then smirked. “Yep. I asked one of your friends what places you would like to go to.” He lifted up his tie. “She gave me this, and told me you liked this place.”

I gave the restaurant another look. “Good choice.” I gave Bumblebee a surprised yet prideful look. “How do you know Rarity was my friend?”

The yellow pegasus just laughed. “You’d be surprised what I know about you.”

“ _ Totally _ not something a stalker would say.” I joked.

“I wasn’t stalking you.” Bumblebee said, guiding me into the building.

“ _ Sure _ .” I giggled, watching as he walked right up to the register.

He laughed, shaking his head at me. Bumblebee tapped a hoof on the edge of the attendant desk. “Two for Mr. Bumblebee.”

The fancy pony, an off white earth pony stallion with a black mane and a black suit vest, smiled kindly. He took two menus from beneath him.

“Right zis way, sir.” The stallion said. Sounding ever the sophisticated.

Bumblebee smirked at me. He motioned a hoof towards the direction of the maître d’. “After you.”

I raised a brow, smirking back. “You’re up to something.” I said while walking up beside him.

“Took you long enough to figure that out.” He winked.

Our table wasn’t in the middle of the restaurant. It was closer to the door, with a nice window seat.

The waiter had given us menus, and told us the specials. We were barely damone a minute before Bumblebee started up the conversation.

“You got some nice taste.” Bumblebee commented, looking around the restaurant.

I nodded, looking at all the Equestrian paraphernalia. Equestrian Elvis was kinda goofy looking, as well as any of the surfer mares they had in some black and white photos. Pony Darth Vadar was cool.

“They have good pasta.” I said, looking down at the menu.

Bumblebee grinned. “Huh.” He looked at all the objects on the walls. “Anything else?”

“There’s this thing called a menu.” I said dryly, motioning to it with mine. “Take a look.”

Bumblebee picked his up. “She tells jokes.”

“And does tricks.” I sang, thinking about  _ Be Our Guest _ .

Lilac and I spent a whole weekend before our Disney trip binging the Disney films. Not just the Princess ones, oh no. We watched  _ Bugs Life, Treasure Planet, Black Cauldron, Robin Hood, Fox and the Hound, _ and pretty much any B-rate movie Disney had. My daughter was not going to end up being one of those people who only cares about the Disney Princesses.

“Ah. There it was folks.” The Pegasus joked.

I snapped back to the conversation. “Huh?”

“The rare Raspberry Stardust smile.” Bumblebee joked. I scoffed, putting my menu down on the table. A small smile came to my face, biting my lip. “Ah! And there’s another one! This is quite a rare sight, mares and gentlecolts. Two smiles in a single minute.”

“I’m allowed to smile, ya know.” I pointed out, still smiling. “No need to make a big deal out of it.”

“You should.” Bumblebee said. “You look hotter when you do.”

Alright. That was a little much. My cheeks turned a lighter shade of pink, and I was so thankful I made bangs in this hairdo. It partially saved my dignity.

What do you say when someone says that? Takes one to know one?

“Would you like something to drink?”

Saved by the waiter. “Yes.” I said. “Soda, please.”

“Cola.” Bumblebee said.

The waiter nodded, leaving us alone.

“I was wrong.” Bumblebee says suddenly. “You’re hot when you blush.”

I glared at him, hiding behind my menu. Bastard made my cheeks blush even worse, asshole. This was not helping him win me over. This was embarrassing! It’s nice to be called hot, never really been called that by a nice guy before.

I mean, really. The only guys who said that were annoying, drunk, and kept trying to put their hand in my pants. Back Home, I was an outsider. My black hair was usual in a permanent state of bedhead, amber eyes with bags underneath, fair skin with freckles and the occasional zit. Then my clothes, and my weird smile.

Then, the kicker, this was my life.  _ This _ . What kind of guy wants this?

Oh, woah. That was depressing.

“Shut up.” I managed to say.

“I’ve been told I’m a chatterbox.” Bumblebee joked. “You have your hooves full.”

I half glared at him. “Hence, tonight. One night, and then I never see you again.”

“Don’t rush to a bad night.” Bumblebee teased. “You might actually have a bit of fun tonight.”

I scoffed, looking down at my menu. Fun? He thought this was going to be fun? This was me forcing myself to have a night off so I don’t overdo it with my feud and work.

Tomorrow, I would get ready for the movie in a week Equestrian time. It would be followed by more paperwork from the Centre because they thought a vacation was doing your work from home.

This was not a date, this was a vacation.

“You’re hiding behind it again.” The pegasus pointed out, annoyed.

“Not hiding, reading. Totally different thing.” I clarified.

“I meant you were hiding behind that mask again.” Bumblebee explained. He reached over, pulling the menu down.

Before I could argue, his gold eyes bore into mine.

He looked serious, something I hadn’t not seen on him before. “That mask where you’re too worried about your work. The one you’ve been hiding behind all night.”

I nervously shifter in my seat. “Maybe you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said defensively.

“Yeah, maybe I don’t.” Bumblebee shrugged. He glanced down at his menu. “But, maybe I do.”

I glared. Wow, he was annoying.

Bumblebee held up his hooves. “Alright.” He said. “I know when to cave.” He picked up his menu. “Oh! They have stuffed mushrooms!”

I rolled my eyes, unaware of the smile on my face. He was annoying, but it added to his charm. Wait...did I just say this guy had  _ charm _ ?

==DMLC==

It was about forty five minutes, we had ordered our food and it had been served. Bumblebee had kept trying to make conversation while I mostly tried to let him down easy.

“Couple names.” Bumblebee suddenly said.

I snorted. It hadn’t taken long for him and I to finish our meals, maybe a few bits left. “Couple names?”

“We need a couple name.” He said. He started scratching his chin with his hoof. “BumbleBerry? BeeDust? BumbleRazzle?”

I winced. Razzle was Darcy’s nickname for me. She loved making fun of me with it, then I brought up Killjoy. That stopped any name argument we had.

“Don’t call me that.” I said without realizing.

“What?” Bumblebee laughed.

I stared at him, trying and failing to look angry. “Don’t call me Razzle.”

The stallion was about to laugh, probably tease me more, when his smile dropped. He frowned, his hoof lowering to the table. “Oh.” He breathed. “Sorry. Sore subject?”

I tried blinking away tears. It was always harder fighting off the emotions in Equestria. They hit me harder, like a knife in my heart. My sister had left me again, right when I thought things were looking up. The spell was gone from her, she actually liked me again. Darcy went and got herself killed, for me.

Why? Why did she do that? I needed her, I needed Darcy around. She was the only one who got my jokes, the only person who I could really be myself with. Darcy was my little sister, yes, and she was my best friend.

The first time she died was a blur, like I had been living in a gray sort of numbness. It almost felt like it didn’t matter anymore. Why should I go to all of these places when the only person who believed me was dead?

Then, Lilac. I could tell her every adventure like a story. It wasn’t the same, though. Darcy would probably have been right next to me as I went on the adventure. Lilac is my daughter, and I will never regret that, but it was hard to tell your six year old daughter you caught a serial killer by putting a bullet in his brain.

The second time was painful, way more than the first. Darcy had brought herself back to life to kill me. That was a whole different kind of messed up.

“How about Berry?” Bumblebee said, reminding me that I was in public.

“Oh Story no.” I grumbled. “You are not giving me a pet name.”

The stallion smirked. “I was gonna call it a nickname, but hey, whatever floats your boat.” He teased. I glared. “Okay, okay. Berry’s off the table. How about Starry?”

My glared stayed, though lessened. Starry was actually a kinda cool nickname, way less painful than Razzle. “Call be that in public and you lose a tooth.” I said nonchalantly, eating a forkful of pasta.

Bumblebee nodded. “So, only in private. Great.” He smirked. “And you can call me Bee.” He smiled, wider than Pinkie. “StarryBee! That’s our couple name!”

I snorted, using my magic to pull his plate away. “Okay. No idea what is in these, but I think you need to stay away from them.”

“You didn’t say no to it.” Bumblebee said in a sing-song voice. He was talking about the couple name. “I knew you’d like it.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Shut up.” Then, I took the last bite of pasta I had.

“Alright, now for the next item on my plans for tonight.” Bumblebee said proudly.

My amber eyes gazed shockingly at the stallion. “Are you serious? I just finished my food.”

“Yep!” He said proudly. He threw some bits down on the table. “You and I have much more to do tonight.”

The stallion got up from his seat, proudly walking away. I groaned in my seat, before I felt something grab my hoof.

“Woah!” I said.

Bumblebee dragged me out of the restaurant excitedly. “Come on  _ Starry _ , let’s see what the night has in store for you.”

==DMLC==

“I didn’t know Ponyville  _ had _ these!” I commented.

The pegasus began guiding me towards an empty blanket. I couldn’t help but look around the place, amazed.

It was an old fashioned drive-in theatre. There were some other ponies here, maybe a dozen pairs all laid out on blankets. They were mostly couples, with one or two families.

“I found it a couple days after moving in.” Bumblebee said. “It looks cool, plus they give you a blanket!”

My eyes looked back to my date, a grin on my muzzle. “This is going to be a recurring thing with you isn’t it?”

“What do you think?” He shot back.

Just as I was rolling my eyes, I saw what was on our blanket.

“Is...Is that...” I stuttered.

“The butteriest bucket of popcorn they had at the snack booth?” Bumblebee rhetorically asked. He laughed nervously, rubbing his neck with his hoof. “Hope you don’t mind. I really like butter.”

“Maybe that’s why your coat is so yellow.” I said, walking right up to the bucket and laying on the blanket. Bumblebee chuckled. “Oh, and I love butter too.”

To prove it, I gripped a small hoofful with my magic. It lifted up out of the bucket, towards my muzzle. Once it arrived, it was shoved into my mouth.

It instantly reminded me of the popcorn I ate back Home. Mmm...so much...butter...

“That has got to be, the hottest thing I have ever seen.”

Oh Story. I just gorged myself on popcorn in front of my date. That was a bad thing, right? This was humiliating.

The chuckling stallion placed himself next to me, the bucket between us.

“Just wait til the movie starts. It’s a comedy slash romance. It’s always some romance thing with walk-in’s.” The jokester of a pegasus smirked.

I, on the other hoof, was hiding myself underneath my mane. That was the most humiliating moment of my life. It was one of those rare moments I was happy Darcy wasn’t here to see it.

“I heard from that crazy friend of your’s that you liked comedies, and this was the closest I could get.” That was when he leaned in closer. “Is she always that...bouncy?” He whispered, as if expecting her to appear at the mention of her name.

Now it was my turn to laugh at him, instantly knowing who he was talking about. “Yes, but more so when she meets somepony new.” I grabbed some more popcorn. “When is your party?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve been told to come back to Sugarcube Corner tomorrow at six.” Bumblebee said, scratching his chin with his hoof.

I laughed. The movie was starting.

==DMLC==

When the movie ended, Bumblebee immediately dragged me to my hooves.

“But, there’s more!” Bumblebee said. He grabbed my hoof, barely giving me enough time to grab the popcorn bucket in my magic.

“I don’t think I can handle this much more surprises.” I told him, trying to keep up with my date. “Can’t we just sit down for five minutes?” I sighed, smiling and shaking my head.

“We just did for ninety!” Bumblebee whined, exaggerating it with slumping shoulders and a pout.

Maybe it was the movie, or the popcorn, but I was laughing with him. 

“Where are you taking me now?” I laughed.

“It’s just one more big surprise.” Bumblebee grinned. “Wouldn’t want to wreck your mind.”

I was ever so curious as to why Bumblebee guided me out of the town.

==DMLC==

“This is a place us cool kid’s call Lookout Point.” Bumblebee explained.

I laughed. “I can actually believe they have a Lookout Point in Ponyville.”

Bumblebee raised a brow. “They had one of these where you’re from?”

“I take great pride in saying I have no clue.” I told Bumblebee, letting him guide me to an empty spot on the hillside.

It was actually kinda quiet. For some reason, nopony was up here. Did Ponyville not know about lookout point?

“Ah. Not one of that crowd.” Bumblebee chuckled.

“I’m twenty, have a daughter, and this is my first date.” My hooves lowered me to the ground, my wings smoothing out the area. “Again, I took pride in not knowing where Lookout Point was in my old town.” I gave him an appraising smile. “Not a bad surprise,  _ Bee _ .”

My date continued to chuckle. “I take it your first date has been awesome, then.”

I looked into his honey orange eyes, a smile on my muzzle. “Okay. I know when I’ve been beat.” I conceded. Bumblebee leaned in, an innocent yet smug look on his face. “This date has been  _ good _

“Alright!” Bumblebee cheered proudly. “Told ya if you just let go and have fun it would be.”

I made a face at Bumblebee, shoving his arm.

“This is seriously your first date?” Bumblebee asked.

I nodded, lowering my head into my hooves. “Yep.”

“I don’t believe that.” Bumblebee shook his head, leaning back. He was grinning at me in disbelief.

“What?” I laughed.

“You went on one date.” Bumblebee said. I was shaking my head. “You had to. No way somepony as hot as you hasn’t gone on a date before.”

I laughed again. “Never been on a date.”

Bumblebee looked out at the landscape, shaking his head and smiling. “Well. I’m glad your first date was me.”

“So am I.” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up again.

The stallion grinned at me. “Okay. Other things we need on a first date.” He put on a serious face, and I laughed. “Bumblebee Pegasus. I’m twenty-one, a Taurus, and I hate long walks in the woods.”

I chuckled, putting on the same serious face. “Raspberry Stardust. I’m twenty, a Virgo, and I hate stuffed mushrooms.”

The Pegasus snorted. “Oh, you go a little crazy after eating them  one time .”

The two of us started laughing.

“Tell me about your family.” Bumblebee said suddenly.

“Umm...what?” I blinked.

“Tell me about your family.” Bumblebee repeated. I hesitated. I had heard him right. “I mean, I know you have a daughter, but is that all the family you have?”

Once again, I hesitated. Should I really tell him about my family? I mean, at first glance it’s not that weird. Mom, dad, three brothers, a sister, and a daughter.

Then, came  _ additions _ . There was Freddie, my clone that was half ghost but I consider a brother. Sasha, a robot I had invented in Tremorton. Max, my progenated clone from the Messaline. River Song, who I haven’t exactly figured out our relation but I know we have some relation.

My sister had been killed multiple times (mostly by me), my daughter was a dragon, and the Spencer’s were all humans.

“You tell me about yours.” I said, trying to come up with an easy way of explaining my large family. 

Bumblebee stance shifted. He seemed conflicted, then he shrugged. “Alright.”

Damn it. “Urg. Curse you and your inability to keep a firm stance on anything.”

“Curse you and your dictionary worthy vocabulary.” The yellow Pegasus laid down on his back. “I don’t know my dad.” Bumblebee said after a short pause. “Mom is a...bitch. In every sense of the word.”

I joined him on the ground, but just kept looking at him.

“She was controlling. Like, seriously controlling. We couldn’t do anything unless she gave the okay. She hated us being our own pony, she just wanted perfect little soldiers. I managed to get away about ten months ago, and then I kinda bumped into you.” He shrugged.

I sighed, laying my head against the grass to look up at the night sky.

“I had a twin.” I said. “Killjoy.”

“She sounds fun.” Bee chuckled.

“She was actually the fun one out of the two of us. She even worked at that club, The Frosty Mug, as a bouncer. She bragged that she got paid to beat ponies up.”

“Okay. Now I have to meet her.”

I chuckled humorlessly. “That’ll be hard, since she died a couple months ago. That’s all I’m saying about it.”

A pause.

“I have a shit load of siblings.” Bee said. “Can’t remember how many. Mom probably had another...one since I left.”

That’s kinda sad. Bumblebee looked sad, yet withheld. His family probably ignored him, not really paying attention to him in the slightest. He had to work hard for any attention.

“And I’m sure you heard about Lilac.” I said.

“Your daughter.” Bumblebee nodded his head. “The dragon, bet that makes blowing out the birthday candles fun.”

“Yeah. She gets to light them, and blow them out.” I said, smiling. Bumblebee laughed. “She’s amazing. I don’t know how I was able to do anything before her.” Lying on my back, I looked up to the stars. “She loves to paint, all the time. We remodeled the house two months ago, and I let her pick out all the colors.”

“Really?” Bumblebee laughed. “And how did that work out?”

I snorted. “You laugh, but now I have a wonderful red couch and brown carpeting.” I said in a hoity toity voice. “Autumn colors are so in right now.”

My date laughed at my impression. “You’re really proud of her, huh?”

“Always.” I said. “Lilac’s...braver than I was at her age. I was scared of everything, but Lilac is almost excited about them. She gets that from her aunt, I think. Her aunt loved adventures too.”

Huh. I guess that was what really scared me. Lilac going on adventures with me, becoming the next Darcy. I don’t know what I would do if Lilac ended up hating me, if she wanted to kill me. The very idea horrified me.

“Hey,.” Bumblebee said. “I’m not sure how your sister...ya know, but I don’t think Lilac will end up like her.”

For a brief second, I wondered if he read my mind. “What?”

“I know from experience that kids look up to their parents.” Bumblebee said. “Single mom, working all the time to make her happy, I’m willing to bet Lilac loves you as much as you love her.”

==DMLC==

The night had come to an end, at almost eleven thirty. It had been pretty amazing, not gonna lie. Of course I’m not gonna tell Bumblebee that the night was amazing, it would bump up his ego. I smiled at the thought of him having a little victory dance or something after I told him how much fun I had tonight.

Bumblebee walked me to my door, pausing in front of it in an awkward silence. “So.” He said.

“So.” I nodded. My magic opened my door, letting me trot in. I stood in the doorway, smiling back at him.

The pegasus smiled, nervously. “How was your first date, Starry?” He asked.

The nickname made me blush. “It was great.” I said. “Better than I expected.”

“Really!?” He asked, sounding like a kid at Christmas. He flew in the air a bit, rising almost two feet off the ground. He must have realized he was over peppy, and dialed it down. “Ahem. Really?”

I giggled at the behavior. “Yeah.” I leaned against the doorway. “Oh, and you should do that over excited thing more often. You look hotter when you do.” And the blush is back.

Bumblebee’s muzzle dropped, turning into a smirk. “Got it.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “See you later, Bee.”

“You too, Starry.” The pegasus shot back.

Not knowing what else to say, I closed my door. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, leaning against my closed door. I sank down to my haunches, laughing quietly.

What was that bit at the end? Dear Story I sounded like Darcy! I mean, yeah Bumblebee did look hot when he smiled wide like that, and just at me calling him hot.

A part of me (probably the part that got picked up from too much time around Tracy) was screaming at me that I just called a pegasus hot, but the rest of me was still in elation over the date. I went on a date and didn’t completely humiliate myself, no monsters attacked, no wacky hijinks, no emergency with the Crusaders. The night actually went perfect.

He called me Starry...I don’t think I’ve ever had that nickname before. And it felt really good.

*knock* *knock*

Curious, I got up and looked out my window. Bumblebee was excitedly waving at me. Shaking my head at his antics, I opened the door.

“I forgot something.” He panted before I could ask.

My head titled. “What did-”

The stallion pushed himself forward, pushing his muzzle into my own.

I had heard a lot of sappy shit about first kisses. There’s fireworks. It’s like you’re floating. Everything around you fades away. You get this feeling in your chest, like you heart is beating so fast it’ll explode.

For me, it was like all of those and yet none of those. My eyes closed as a tried to figure out what I was feeling exactly. My heart felt it was in my throat. All my senses were in overdrive. Like, I could almost feel every hair on my coat. Every strand of my hair. Any blades of grass beneath my hooves.

I felt a hoof grab my head. My own hoof reached up to hold his own.

It was really nice.

Oh...wait...

As the kiss went on, I felt a small spark. Or, maybe a jolt? Was this what they meant by fireworks? It was a weird feeling. As a girl who could once use lightning to her will, I knew sparks. This was a different kind of spark-

“Well, now that  _ that’s _ taken care of.” Bumblebee joked.

Oh...when did he stop?

My eyes blinked open. Bumblebee was grinning.

“I know, I’ve been practicing.” He smirked.

“Ga...huh?” I asked.

My date blinked. “First kiss?”

“First date.” I reminded, dazed.

Bumblebee blinked, then grinned. “I was your first kiss.”

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded. “Sorry. Mind...reeling.” My brain finally managed to spit out.

Bumblebee let out a chuckle. “Well, now that that’s taken care of,” He gave a genuine smile. “Do you wanna meet up again next Saturday?”

I smiled, brushing back some of my mane that had fallen onto my face. “I have a Princess thing, but Friday would work.” I giggled. “Bee.”

The stallion grinned. “Goodnight, Starry.” Then he flew off. 

I sighed, the smile glued to my face. I went inside, using my back to close the door. Sinking to the floor, I could only sigh in content.

Then I realized something, I was almost 200 and that was my first kiss. Darcy is laughing in her grave at me.

Ah, screw her. I just had my first kiss!

==DMLC==

The Pegasus flew to his home on the edge of town, letting out a pleased sigh. He grinned, proud of himself. He had just kissed her, been her first kiss!

The night had been perfect.

Bumblebee walked into his new home. It was a little run down, apparently some ponies had moved out as things got worse in Ponyville. He had only been in town a week, so that was explainable.

After a quick check that nopony was watching, Bumblebee took off his disguise.

In bright green flames, Bumblebee was replaced by a changeling.

Bumble- _ Thorax _ walked over to the old beat up couch. He jumped onto it, sinking down with a dumbstruck smile.

_ He was her first kiss. _


	8. Chapter 08

It’s a known fact, in either world, that Sunday was Lilac and I’s day to be together. During the transition into Earth, Lilac would occasionally get a little culture shock. I started the tradition of Stardust Sunday (a working title) to help assimilate, and to help us stay close.

Most days the two of us would watch Disney movies, ones Lilac liked or still hadn’t seen. After the Easter Sunday incident, Lilac had been hesitant to go to back church. Some idiot in her class told her that only demons could breath fire, and that Lilac was going to hell.  _ That _ had been a fun day, especially when Mom and Dad got involved.

Of course, at church, Dad explained  _ everything _ to the congregation. I got so many ‘sorry for your loss’ texts that I nearly threw my phone at a wall. My next church visit had been met with a large crowd around me, and being singled out for prayer. For some, that sounded fun, but to an introvert with depression it was hell.

Lilac wasn’t any better. The kids all kept telling her to breathe fire. It got to the point where she had to stay downstairs with me, or didn’t show at all. She liked Veggietales, at least. She would sing the songs for days after we watched one.

So, that was our Sunday. Avoiding paparazzi, watching movies, and bonding.

Lilac rushed into the house, throwing her sleepover gear beside the door. I was making myself a bowl of fruity oatmeal, barely paying attention to the clatter she made as she ran up to the table. It must have been a fun night, because she nearly bounced.

I smiled as she dropped into a chair, instantly bringing out her new merpony coloring book. “Good morning Mom!” Lilac cheered, while coloring a merpony green.

“Good morning, Lilac.” I said, taking a bite of the oatmeal. “How was the sleepover?”

Lilac was ten years old now, but have only looked eight. Those Traveller genes were kicking in strong with her, and the dragon’s slow aging had to help. She rarely showed her new mental age, bouncing about like the seven year old everyone thought she was.

My daughter kept coloring, not looking away from her masterpiece. It was certainly interesting, coloring a purple mane for a green merpony. “It was the best yet! We played Truth or Dare, and Apple Bloom dared Scootaloo to wear one of her bows!”

I had to admit, the tomcolt Scootaloo wearing that pink bow was a funny sight. “Wow.” I snickered. “Please tell me you took pictures.” The purple dragon nodded. “That’s my girl.” I reached over, ruffling her head fin.

She shook her head, putting the all back in place. I snorted at the Equestrian cartoon magic, and continued eating my food. “And Scootaloo made Apple Bloom do the bunny dance.”

I winced, laughing. “With the costume?”

“With the costume.” Lilac nodded, fighting a smile.

“Oh.” I winced again, taking a bite of my oatmeal. “You girls are brutal when you want to be.”

“Scootaloo wanted to see if those were our cutiemarks, but Sweetie Belle said we were all too nice.” Lilac explained. “And I wondered what a mean cutiemark would look like.”

I nodded, wondering myself. It would probably look like Tracy’s face.

We sat in a content silence for a few minutes, her coloring and me eating. The day was long, so we had plenty of time to do fun stuff. I wanted to show her the Rugrat movies, having finally found the old tapes (the cool orange ones) online. I hoped she would like them, especially the Rugrat/Thornberry crossover I bought. It was the 4-D one, complete with the smell key!

We could head to the library after. Twilight and I needed to check my stats on her machine, see if they had mellowed over the week. Plus, Lilac would get to see Peewee.

It was actually really funny. Lilac watched over that egg as if the fate of Equestria rested on it. I thought it was adorable (okay. It’s adorable now, back then I let her do anything as long as she stayed home) go see her make a nest for it. It was like looking at the baby photos of her when Raspberry had found her.

She had taken the nest to Twilight’s library after hearing Twilight had some books on Phoenix care. She was all for taking care of him when he would hatch. Lilac and I were going over the booklet, when Spike called out to us. The Phoenix had hatched, forming attachments with Spike  _ and _ Lilac. He named the Phoenix chick PeeWee, while Twilight and I stood in the back. I took pictures of the touching scene.

Peewee stayed at the library from that point on, much to Lilac’s concern. That dragon mother instinct was nothing to laugh at. It made me nervous for if Lilac’s mother ever came around. I’d probably be roasted on the spot. Anyway, Lilac eventually agreed to Peewee’s new living arrangement, but only if she could come see him whenever she wanted. Twilight and Spike readily agreed to her teens.

My daughter, a firm negotiator. I was so proud. 

After the library, I was thinking we could go to Sugarcube Corner. Bumblebee’s party was at six, and I had mixed feelings about going. A Pinkie Party was a Pinkie Party, especially her ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ ( _ patent pending _ ) parties. At the same time, I knew my friends would ask about how the date went.

Of course, I would tell the truth. It was amazing. Bumblebee was a pretty cool pony, once I gave him the chance. I may be stubborn, but willing to admit I was wrong about him. He was smarter than I gave him credit for, as well as resourceful. He went to my friends on dating advice, something I occasionally laugh at on TV. It was really sweet in real life, plus stalker-ish.

I looked at Lilac, seeing her color in a lobster. She knew I was out last night. I didn’t tell her it was a date, not really, but do I tell her now? I cared about her opinion on the matter. She was a big person in my life, and if she ended up not liking Bumblebee then I would cancel the next date.

Well, I guess that settles the issue on the party.

I finished my breakfast, using magic to send it into the sink. “I have the TV set up. We’re watching  _ Rugrats _ movies, that okay?”

My daughter nodded. “Sounds fun! But, Mom?”

“Yes?”

“What exactly is a Rugrat?”

“That, my dear daughter, is why we’re watching them.”

==DMLC==

“Look sharp it’s a jungle out here.” Lilac sang, sitting on my back. I bobbed my head with the song, getting into the song. “We’ve got a job to do and we’re heading up there!”

I hummed the music, including the drum beats.

“Oh-wee, it’s a jungle out here!” The two of us finished just as we reached the door to the library. Lilac giggled at the song, having enjoyed it the most after the movie marathon.

Using my magic, I opened the door. Not long after it opened there was a loud screech.

“Peewee!” Lilac cheered. She hopped off my back, dashing into the library. I snickered, hearing a comedic cartoon crash follow. In the middle of the library, Lilac was cuddling with the baby phoenix. She cooed at the small bird. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks!”

My smirk faltered a bit, realizing it  had been weeks. Almost a month had passed since Lilac had seen her pseudo-child. Then, I was again reminded I was technically a grandmother. Oh, my life is never dull.

The bird chirped, rubbing his beak on Lilac’s cheek.

Twilight walked into the main room, her head tilting at the adorable scene. The two of us exchanged smiles.

“Raspberry.” Twilight motioned with her head towards the lab. “Come! We need to run the check-up.”

I nodded, giving my daughter a quick look. “I’ll be back in about half an hour. You and Peewee stay up here and bond.”

Lilac giggled at my antics. “Got it, Mom.” She pulled a bird treat out, giving it to the bird.

After smiling at cartoon magic once again at work, I went into Twilight’s lab.

She had put on her new lab coat, I noticed as I sat down in the machine’s chair. Her wings looked much cleaner than last week, and she seemed more versatile. Those flying lessons from Rainbow were paying off, but Twilight was still a bit awkward with the new wings.

Luckily,  _ Equestria Girls _ was next Saturday. Twilight would become more used to the wings after that. At least...I think she did. She got used to her human body much quicker than her alicorn one, I wonder what’s causing the hesitance? Maybe because this new body is permanent? After finding out your new self is permanent, it takes some time for it to wrap itself around your head. I know from experience.

Twilight was looking over the results from last week, probably to have them fresh in her mind or some science-y explanation.

Did I just think the word science-y? Curse this small portion of the Doctor in my mind!

In the Series Four finale, I ended up becoming a part of the Meta-Crisis. That means a small part of my mind went into the Doctor’s hand, as well as Donna’s mind. The reverse is true. I gained some of Donna’s sarcastic wit and big heart, and the Doctor’s ability to drive the TARDIS (however flawed) and his slight obliviousness. Basically, the three of us got our minds-melded and they didn’t exactly separate well.

This went badly for Donna. She technically had two immortal beings inside her head. It went alright at first, she didn’t need to have her mind erased. Instead the portion of my mind started crushing her’s, forcing her off the TARDIS or risk certain death. The portion was similar to the ability of sensing a fixed point for Time Lords, only instead of collapsing the Time Stream it would collapse the user.

Donna had to go off the TARDIS after  _ Journey’s End _ because that’s the way it was written. A written fixed point, stuck in stone. Donna became Part Traveler, Part Time Lord, Part Human.

Oh, I just imagined ManBearPig. This needs to stop.

“Time for the examination.” Twilight said.  _ ‘Oh, Sparkle of Twilight, what would I do without you?’ _

==DMLC==

Twilight was excitedly hopping around her lab. I snickered at the look of pure joy on her face, making her almost look like a filly who just earned her cutiemark. The results from my test were held in her purple magic, somehow staying in mid air despite Twilight’s hopping.

“I take it that I passed.” I joked, holding back on my laughter. It may not be that funny to you, but you weren’t the one watching a full grown mare dressed in a lab coat hop around a lab.

The purple alicorn let out a loud squee. She ran up to my side, disconnecting me from the machine. “Yes! Your numbers went down twenty seven percent!”

“Hmm.” I nodded, once again pretending to understand her science. “Sounds great.”

“Great?! It’s better than great!” Twilight leapt at me, wrapping her hooves around my neck. I tensed at the sudden hug. “If your numbers keep on this trend, you’ll be stable in two weeks!”

“Ah.” I once again humored her science. It sounded simple enough, but I knew if I asked her to clarify anything I would be stuck down here for an hour. I wanted to get to Bee’s party on time. “Send the data to Tracy. Story knows if I do it she’ll think I’m lying.”

Twilight frowned. She ended the hug, looking at me with her sad purple eyes. It was a complete one eighty from her previous behavior. Not to mention creepy, seriously her eyes are inflating or something! “Raspberry, Tracy really values your opinion.”

“I know, she just doesn’t acknowledge it.” I lightly shoved Twilight’s shoulder. “Can I see my results?”

Twilight sighed, but gave me a reassuring smile. The paper floated over, soon being covered in my amber magic. I looked to the orange fourth line, the one that looked like a crazed heartbeat last time. It was much less crazy, more like a light jogger’s heartbeat. I could deal with that.

“I’ve come up with a theory as to why your numbers lowered that quickly.” Twilight said, looking at the paper with me. I looked up at her, waiting for the answer. She was grinning...dangerously... “Your  _ date _ .”

“Son of a bitch.” I groaned before I could stop myself. “Rarity?”

Twilight giggled. I groaned, lowering my head. “She told me after she gave me the new lab coat.”

“Please. Be gentle.” I sighed, rubbing at my forehead.

“You went on a date!” Twilight cheered. “A date, with an actual colt! And your levels dropped dramatically not even a day after! How is this not good news?”

Of course. Twilight was looking at the date from a scientific perspective. Thank my lucky stars I found a girl who didn’t scream at me about going on a date with a cute boy. Instead, she worried about my health.

Twilight took the new results over to the old ones, putting them away in my file. “And just think about how much lower it will get after the next date!”

I snorted. “Hold on, seabiscuit.” I walked to her side. “We don’t know if he’s the reason behind my drop. It could be anything, from the magic of Equestria to not eating a triple chocolate muffin this morning.”

“There is also no evidence to suggest otherwise.” Twilight pointed out.

“Ouch.” I said, lifting a hoof to my heart. “Using my favorite argument against me.” I faked sniffled, wiping away an imaginary tear. “I’m so proud.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

Even though I was arguing against it, a part of me wanted to believe the date helped.

==DMLC==

It was slow at first, waiting for the party to get started. More ponies were coming, though some came for Sugarcube Corner and ended up staying for the party. Bumblebee hadn’t arrived yet, though knowing him he would be late. Pinkie took it all in stride, entertaining the ponies that were already here and encouraging them to stay.

My eyes scanned the party, watching in case of any trouble. It was a habit gained from years working on multiple police forces. This was a landfills with pacifists (unless you stole somepony’s muffin then all bets are off) so the scan is unnecessary. My sense were peaked, hair on my neck was standing. Everything just felt  _ off _ in here.

My daughter and I were sitting in a booth near the back. Lilac was perfectly fine, coloring in her book. She didn’t notice anything wrong. She hadn’t been in my line of work, and I pray to the Story that she never would.

So what was wrong in this place? What made my trained senses pick up danger? Was it just that nothing had happened since the incident in my backyard? I mean, not even I can have that much good in a two week span. Something was bound to go wrong for me.

Or maybe it was the Feud.

I had actually made some progress with it. The Plan wasn’t complete yet, but it was gonna be fireworks. Most of it was just a rough draft. I had to stop thinking like a ten year old victim and think like a two hundred year old princess. That was what would make it perfect.

My sense peaked. Something was  _ wrong _ in Sugarcube Corner. Where was this hidden danger?

My eyes caught a pony in another booth. He was a dark brown earth pony, like dark chocolate. His black mane was in a buzz cut, like he had just left his shift at the Royal guard. His eyes were the same black, which I had never seen on a pony before. I had seen him before, he looked too familiar for it not to be.

_ ‘I thought you learned everything.’ ‘Well, I just learned to ask the right questions.’ _

_ ‘Oh. I love ponies with trump cards. What do you have on the Queen of the Bad Actors?’ ‘More than you.’ _

_ ‘You got better at insults since our first date.’ ‘I haven’t met you before tonight.’ _

_ ‘Who are you?’ ‘You’ve known me all your life.’ _

_ ‘You can’t be like me.’ ‘Why not? What do you really know about your own kind?’ _

_ ‘My name is Garfield Logan. You ruined my life.’ _

The stallion smirked, as if he knew I was remembering. I could have sworn his black eyes started to glow.

It was him. That son of a bitch started all of this. He and that bug exposed me. My friends and family found out in some of the worst ways possible. My daughter had a gun to her fucking head. It was because of him my sister was dead!

“Mom?”

I looked at the little purple dragon, suddenly hit by a dizzy spell. What had I just been thinking about? It was important, scary. My feud. That was it. How had I gotten so out of focus? “Yeah Lilac?” I said, blinking extra hard to shake off the weird feeling in my head.

“Why are we here?” Lilac asked. Purely in childlike innocence.

Here it was. The thing I had been avoiding. Tell her about Bee, or hide it until it explodes in my face. “What do you mean?” I asked, sitting up in my seat. “It’s a Pinkie party. We gotta go to those. They’re the best.”

Lilac paused in her coloring, looking at me in confusion. “But you don’t like Welcome to Ponyville parties. You only go to one when it’s on.” She looked around, leaning closer. “When it’s on the show.”

My daughter was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for. It made me so proud to see her use that Stardust brain of her’s. It was probably the only good thing I gave her.

But, then came the bigger problem. Do I tell her? How do you tell your daughter that her mother is dating? I’ve never really shown any interest in saying before, usually only having time for Lilac and work.

Plus, this was our day. Stardust Sunday. What was I thinking, bringing in an almost stranger to our Sunday?

Killjoy would’ve made me told her. Embarrass me into telling the truth, never been able to keep a real secret from her. She would find out about Bumblebee, then make me tell her everything that happened on the date so that she could make jokes about it.

Oh, and the sex jokes. Dear Story I would be unprepared for the sex jokes. I can already hear her asking me if he was hung  _ like a horse _ .

Okay. I have to tell Lilac. She’s family, she needs to know.

“Actually, I’m here to-”

“Raspberry!”

Holding back a facehoof, I turned to the yellow pegasus approaching our table. “Hey Bumblebee.”

He smiled, seemingly overjoyed to see me at his party. When had he showed up? Pinkie usually cheered loudly, getting everypony else involved. How had I missed that? Was I that zoned out earlier? He turned Lilac, keeping up that smile. “And this must be the famous Lilac.”

My daughter giggled. “I’m not famous.”

“Your mom talked about you enough.” Bumblebee said. I glared, praying for would keep his big muzzle shut. He was gonna talk. He was going to tell her before I had a chance.

“On our date last night.” I admitted, taking the shot.

My daughter gaped at me, blue eyes wide. “What?”

“I went on a date last night with Bumblebee.” I explained, feeling anxious at the explanation. “That’s why we’re at his party.”

Lilac blinked, turning to the pegasus. “A date?”

The Pegasus leaned down to me. “I walked in on something didn’t I?”

I shrugged, wincing. “Ya kinda did, yeah.” I looked at my daughter. “But, give me five. Go enjoy the party before Pinkie drags you back in.”

Bumblebee nodded, understanding the awkward situation. “Those cupcakes do look really good.” The stallion trotted off.

I felt a little bad about that. He had at least tried to be a nice stallion at meeting my daughter. I’ve seen better introductions.

“If it helps.” I began. “I was just about to tell you when he walked up.”

Lilac was still shocked. “You didn’t tell me.”

“It was supposed to be a one time thing, then I would never see him again. However, the date went better than I thought.” I explained. “It was  _ last night _ .”

Lilac blinked. “But...why not tell me? What if he hurt you, Mom? I wouldn’t have even known.”

So that’s what this was about. Lilac had been wounded in both the physical and mental way back in January. Dominic had kidnapped my daughter, used her as bait to trap and murder me in front of her. She was then told she had a big family, one that welcomed her with open arms. Then, she was locked in a cell and used for her connection with me.

It made complete sense that she would feel guilty about that. She wasn’t, not even close, that all went to Dominic. Lilac had trusted him, as I did, and it cost us both. I had been betrayed before, never by my own kind. It hurt, for a long time, masked only by losing Darcy. Lilac had loss that week too, losing some of her much appreciated innocence.

I’ve spent her entire childhood protecting Lilac from my life. Dominic had dragged her in kicking and screaming.

She was trying to protect me. She thought it was a part of this family, to watch out for each other.

“Then I would’ve beat him so hard into the dirt that he’d be tasting it for the rest of his life.” I assured, reaching over to hold her claw. Lilac’s eyes were starting to water. “It’s alright. If he tried anything, he will learn the one truth of the Stardust clan.”

Lilac tried to blink away tears. Her blue head fins fell over one side of her face. “What’s the one truth?”

I leaned in, smirking. “Never mess with one, unless you wanna get burned.”

Lilac snorted, slumping back in booth chair. She shook her head, moving the scales out of her face. “Burned. Cause I’m a dragon. Funny Mom, real funny.”

I laughed, sitting back in my own seat. “Biscuits. I didn’t see that.”

Lilac laughed. “Sure mom.  _ Sure _ .”

“As sugar!” I laughed.

Bumblebee and by the table. “And there’s laughter!” He clapped his hooves on the table, holding one out to Lilac. “Hey. We met earlier, and I messed it. The name’s Bumblebee.”

The purple dragonette turned to me. I nodded, assuring her it was okay. She took his hoof with her claw. She grinned, revealing her shiny white dragon teeth. “I’m Lilac. Nice to meet you, Mr. Bumblebee.”

The hairs on my neck stood.

*flash*

The three of us flinched back. Pinkie appeared in the booth next to our’s holding a Polaroid camera. “Yes!” The party pony cheered. She held out a photo, shaking it to help it be exposed. She showed it to us, and it was actually a pretty good photo of Lilac, Bumblebee and I. “Aw! You three look so adorable together!”

I started blushing. The hairs on my neck hadn’t gone down, but I was smiling like my birthday had come early.

==DMLC==

Logan walked out of the bakery, silently stewing. That party had done little help his mood. His new prisoner was supposed to be easy. She cried at first, begging Logan to let him go. He had read her emotions, as all changelings do. She had seen he had little inside.

Vengeance. Hate. Anger. And a sick twisted sense of love. It was all he felt now. That anger was stewing deep inside of him.

Bumblebee had come to them on Stardust Sunday. That was Logan’s best day to watch them, make sure Raspberry wasn’t getting to close. Logan loved Stardust Sunday more than any other day in existence.

Logan had been waiting for this every since he began. He waited for Raspberry’s 200th birthday, caused that was the day he could come out to her. He could stop using his memory spell on her, the one that always worked on her. He wrote it especially for her. She might hear whispers about him, that was fine. She hadn't way of figuring out who he was, of how close to her he was.

Raspberry Stardust and Garfield Logan. The battle that never ended, yet also never started.

Logan looked back into the bakery through a window. Raspberry was holding some cupcakes in her magic, giving them to Bumblebee and Lilac. The three were smiling, laughing. Raspberry looked down at a Polaroid photo, smiling in ways Logan had only dream of.

His present for her was ready. All he had to do was wrap it.


	9. Chapter 09

“And last night, Bumblebee took me to an ice cream parlor.” I explained excitedly. “They had these things where if you eat thirty scoops of ice cream in thirty minutes you got a free t-shirt. I was doing great, but half way through Bumblebee got a brain freeze! I had to finish the rest of it myself!”

Reaching for my bag, I pulled out the t-shirt. It was a plain white shirt, fit for ponies. It had tiny ice cream cones all over, and the words  _ ‘I Won The Thirty Scoop Challenge!’ _ in bright blue.

“Sounds like you had a fun night.” Mia said, sipping her tea. She was smiling, hadn’t really stopped since I came in. 

“Of course I did. The idiot gave me a challenge. I had to finish it.” I asked, picking up my tea cup. Man, Mia always had good tea at the Crystal Empire.

This was how our biweekly meetings usually went. Mia would tell me anything new in her life, and I would do the same, all over a nice hot pot of tea. It felt so British, and I loved it. Of course, most of my stories were changed for Mia’s sake. She didn’t know my secret, and I was happy with that. If she knew, who knows what guilt trip I would get.

It doesn’t sound good, happily keeping a secret. I feel kinda like Miley in the last episode of  _ Hannah Montana _ , looking for a fake disguise because she  needs to have some kind of big secret. Why did I have to pick the crazy Disney channel star? Why couldn’t I have chosen Kim Possible, who never had a secret for more than one episode?

I could worry about that stuff later, right now I was enjoying some sweet tea! Well, it was normal tea but then I put in, like, five sugar cubes. It’s a Southern thing.

This was my life, and I loved it. I had loyal friends, a wonderful daughter, a nice boy(colt?)friend, a mortal enemy, and no one had tried to assassinate me for the Crown. Everything was in order.

Or, at least I could pretend when I was having tea with Mia.

Mia clapped her hooves, excited. “Your first princess summit. I’m so happy for you, and Twilight!”

I had some more tea. “Twilight’s been a bit nervous about it. She still hasn’t gotten used to being a princess.”

Mia brushed it off with her hoof. “Twilight a great princess, and more she’s a great mare. She’ll be one of Equestria’s best princesses.”

“Exactly. She just needs a push in the right direction.” I said.  _ ‘And here I am.’ _

==DMLC==

The Mane Six and Spike walked under the Crystal Palace, smiling once they caught sight of me.

“Hi Raspberry.” Rainbow Dash said, flying over my head. “Why did you have to get here before us?”

“Princess Cadence and I wanted to get together before the Summit began.” I explained to the group. “There’s just not enough time for tea when dealing with four other princesses.”

“I know that, you told us yesterday.” Rainbow groaned. “But why are you here so  _ early _ ?”

That was actually not true. The sky had started to turn gold as Celestia began the sunset, I had been here since lunch. Still, the comment made me blush. “I have a thing against being late.  _ Five minutes early is ten minutes late _ , so the saying goes.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Applejack shook her head, staring at Twilight and I in astonishment. “Hoo-wee! Your very first princess summit. You two must be over the moon.”

“Oh, I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”  _ ‘Since I heard about the movie.’ _ I thought, smirking at my own little joke.

Twilight smiled at her friend. “Oh, I  _ am _ excited.” The smile faded, giving way to an anxious frown. “But, to be honest, I’m a little nervous, too.”

“You’re ‘nervicited’!” Pinkie burst into the conversation.

Twilight’s wing sprung out in surprise. She hadn’t quite figured out those yet. I merely smiled and watched as Pinkie started hopping in place. “It’s like you wanna jump up and down and yell ‘YAY ME!’” The pony fell to the ground, wrapping herself into a ball and rocking back and forth. “But you also wanna curl up in a teeny-tiny ball and hide at the same time!”

I will admit, that was come impressive acrobatic skills Pinkie had. She uncurled herself from the ball, smiling at us as if she hadn’t just defied physics. “We’ve all been there!” The party pony finished, rubbing Twilight and I head’s in a quick nuggy.

Fluttershy bashfully looked to the ground. “I’m there almost every day.”

“Try every other week.” I grinned.

“You’ve got no reason to fret, Twi.” Applejack assured in a firm tone. “Everything’s gonna be just-”

“TWILIGHT! RASPBERRY!”Rarity shouted, running up to our faces.

All seven of us flinched. Rarity grabbed at our heads (Twilight’s, then mine) searching for our crowns. “Oh, sorry, darlings, but I just realized you’re not wearing your crowns. You haven’t forgotten it back in Ponyville, have you?”

“It’s in my bag.” The purple alicorn turned to her assistant. The dragon patted the saddlebag he had dragged here from the train station. “Just feel a little self-conscious about wearing it. Haven’t really gotten accustomed to  _ these _ yet, either.” She lifted her wings in emphasis.

Twilight flapped her wings, staying airborne for four seconds before falling flat onto the crystal floors.

“I actually did leave mine at Home.” I commented. Rarity looked at me as if I just told her I wore boots on my horn. “What? I don’t like wearing that thing. It’s heavy!”

“You are princesses now, Twilight, Raspberry. Embrace it!” Rarity said as we all trotted towards the doors. “I’m telling you, if I had a crown like that, I would never take it off. Why, I’d sleep in the thing.”

“No you wouldn’t.” I stated. Rarity rolled her eyes. “It would mess up your hair.” Her eyes shrunk in mute horror, as if she had just now realized the problem.

==DMLC==

Twilight opened the doors to the throne room, being met by trumpet blowing crystal guards. The others stared in shock, but I stared boredly. The guards did this every time I came to the palace, so it was an annoyance now than anything.

Yet I stayed by the door, waiting for it to stop. Apparently, they take it as a personal offense when you ignored the trumpets, learned that the first time.

Twilight hadn’t learned this yet. She wandered through the guards, bumping into Flash Sentry. “Her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

I walked up next, thankful that the horns had stopped for Twilight’s announcement. An immediate wince followed as the trumpets began anew.

“Her highness, Princess Raspberry Stardust!” Flash announced, gesturing to me.

Twilight walked on, smiling at her sister-in-law. “Twilight!” Mia giggled happily. “I haven’t seen you since the coronation! Raspberry’s been my only way of finding out what you’ve been up to!”

I whistled innocently as Twilight playfully glared at me. “No idea what she’s talking about.” I denied the statement.

Princess Celestia walked up, smiling at the exchange. “We have so much to discuss. But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now, off to bed, all of you.”

Everypony nodded. It had been a long day, and it wasn’t even over yet.

==DMLC==

Night had fallen in the Crystal Empire, letting the aurora borealis loose onto Equestrian skies.

Lilac and I were in our usual room. It was almost exactly like Twilight’s room, except Lilac had a proper foal’s bed in place of a dog bed.

I had finished telling her a story about  _ Alice in Wonderland _ , seeing as it somewhat fit tonight’s adventure. Lilac was tucked under her blankets, looking a bit forlorn.

“Just stay here, and under no circumstances follow me.” I instructed, kissing Lilac’s head. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

My daughter frowned. “Are you sure, Mom?” She turned to me, moving her covers so they kept her covered. “I helped a lot with the Planning. I can help even more.”

“Princess, from the bottom of my heart, do not follow me into this world.” I said. “You stay here where I know you can be safe.”

Her frown deepened. 

“No. Puppy dog pouts do not work when there is a chance of you in danger.” I said firmly.

“But you brought me to dragons sting biking filled Berk.” Lilac pointed out. She had been getting better at those since January. I’m gonna be humble and say it was her uncles who taught her that.

“Yeah, and you were the one who chased after Toothless during the grudge match.” I reminded. Lilac winced, digging herself under her blanket. “I know you hate it when I remind you about that. It doesn’t make it any less true. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”

“You didn’t do this to Aunt Killjoy.” Lilac complained.

Okay. That one stung a bit. I hadn’t been hard on Darcy when Lilac was around,  _ especially _ when Lilac wasn’t around. Darcy had been my sister, and my student. “I did this a lot to her, when she was your age. It took her a long time before I trusted her on her own, Lilac. She had to work for it. Even I had to work for it. It took me a long time to get to this level of skill.”

I leaned down to her side, kissing her forehead. “Few goods things were ever built in a day.” Lilac closed her eyes, curling into a small ball under her blanket. I sighed. She tended to get a bit distant if I scolded her on stuff she did wrong. For a dragon, she had thin skin. “Goodnight, Princess.”

Lilac mumbled a  _ goodnight _ . I walked to the door, opening it with my magic. Best to leave Lilac to sort out her feelings, she was introverted.

Off to work.

==DMLC==

What woke me was the magical him from the mirror. I had been in here for twenty minutes before sleep called to me. My hiding place had to be the best, not even Sunset Shimmer would think to look behind the mirror for me.

A black hooded figure hopped out of the mirror, gently pushing the door open with mint green magic and sneaking out.

“Took her long enough.” I grumbled, shaking the sleep out of my eyes.

I walked towards the mirror. My saddlebag clicked onto my side. Lilac was safe in bed, Bee was in Ponyville, and everypony else was in bed. My supplies for the next two days had been stuffed into the Bag, plus anything I needed for emergencies.

  
  


==DMLC==

“Ouch.”

When I came out from the portal, I hit someone. I heard the sounds of papers flying, and someone squeaking.

“Umm…are-are you okay?” A voice asked.

Fluttershy!

Looking at my outfit, I saw I was wearing a plum purple hoodie with little strings that had little yellow beads for ends. My sleeves went out to my elbows, showing off my raspberry colored skin. The midnight blue jeans had my cutiemark on the upper thighs. By my side was a dark brown messenger bag with the strap going over my right shoulder, it had a flap going over top connecting to a golden belt buckle. My boots were amber with white sparkles.

Reaching up to my hair I saw the midnight blue with streaks of silver. It was running freely down the back of my head, it still felt like a frizzy mess.

Fluttershy looked like she did on TV. Her skin was pale yellow with a rosy pink mane done so that she could hide behind it if need be and a white butterfly hairclip. She wore a white tank top connecting to a grass green skirt with two butterflies. Her boots went to knee level and the same shade of green as the skirt with pink I guess socks and white tips.

“I would say I’m just fine.“

Fluttershy looked at me with confusion before slipping down to my level.

“Are  _ you _ okay?” I asked.

“Nobody wants to help the animals.” Fluttershy said, pushing her head into her knees and making snuffling sounds.

“I’ll adopt a pet.” The statue shifted a little, I quickly reached into my bag.

“You will? Oof!“ Fluttershy squeaked.

We turned to look at the object that had hit Fluttershy’s head. It was the Element of Magic.

“How did this get out here?” Fluttershy asked, lifting up the tiara.

“I don’t know.” I lied.

“I should get this to Vice Principal Luna. She’s probably hasn’t noticed it’s gone yet.” My pink haired friend said before grabbing some of the papers and walking off.

“Hey,” She turned back to me. I stuffed my hands into my hoodie pockets, awkwardly. “Can I follow you? I’m new here and I don’t know my way. Also, my name is Raspberry Stardust.”

“I’m...Fluttershy.” She whispered.

“Well, Fluttershy, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.” With that, I wrapped my arm around the butter yellow girl and walked us into the school.

==DMLC==

Fluttershy kindly showed me around the school, showing me Principal Celestia’s office along with some of the classrooms. When the bell rang, she ran off. For the next period I would be bored out of my mind.

I snuck to the library, reaching into my old Infi-Purse to grab my backup computer. Despite all this, I really wanted to work on some Travel stuff. Being in charge of a sub-species was harder than it sounded. Most of it was just some requests to Travel or meet with me.

I swear, it’s all getting so complicated. I remember way back in ‘08 when I could Travel to  _ CSI:NYC _ in the morning,  _ Rugrats _ for the afternoon and  _ That’s So Raven _ at night without a care. Why did they have to make requests to Travel? Was there something wrong with the place? Gah, sometimes I hate my job.

The bell rang again, I guess Second Period was starting. Closing the laptop, I placed it carefully inside the Infi-Purse.

Ah, yes, my Infi-Purse. A little trick I learned in Halloween Town. That grandma knew what she was doing. She enchanted my bag a couple decades back so it was like her alligator purse. Bigger on the inside. It had a ton of stuff for this trip inside it. I planned on using all of it in some fashion.

I walked out of the library, looking for Pinkie Pie.

It didn’t take long.

The pinkette was taking party supplies into the gymnasium, being sure as to not spill any of it. When she walked in, I made sure to  _ accidentally _ bump into her.

“Oof!” We both said.

Rubbing my head lightly, I looked up to see Pinkie Pie. She had light pink skin with a hot pink hair curling down to her hips. She was wearing a white shirt with a pink heart an purple lining with a bright blue mini jacket. Her belt was a lavender bow just above a pink-purple skirt with her cutiemark on the sides. For shoes, she had bright blue boots up to her knees with two little pink bows.

When she noticed me, she gasped. Seriously, she jumped up and gasped like when she met Twilight.

“Oh my gosh! You’re new because I haven’t seen your face before and I’ve seen everybody’s face before so you must be new and that means you mustn’t have any friends! That’s so sad!”

“I have friends. A girl name Fluttershy.” I defended. Pinkie made it sound like I was a friendless loser.

“Fluttershy, huh? Don’t-”

“Let the whole shy thing fool me?” I finished for the pinkette.

Pinkie gasped again. “Are you psychic?” She asked me, blue eyes wide.

“Yes.” People always asked, so I always answered. So what if it wasn’t true? It was still an answer.

“Cool!” Pinkie cheered.

“Hey, I was wondering if I could help you set up the dance, the Fall Formal? I helped my old school decorate for this last big party they threw and I was taught by one of the best!” I cheered, leaving out the best was Pinkie Pie as a pony.

“Sure! Anything for a new friend!” Pinkie said.

The girl grabbed my arm and dragged me into the gymnasium. She pushed some streamers into my arms.

“Just start hanging these.” Pinkie smiled, skipping off with what looked like a pile of balloons.

“Where?” I asked.

“Everywhere silly! Oh, wait, I forgot to ask you your name!” 

“Raspberry Stardust, most people just call me Raspberry.” I said.

“Nice to meet you Raspberry, my name’s Pinkie Pie! My friends all call me Pinkie.”

==DMLC==

_ Twilight Sparkle _

The room Fluttershy had guided me to was decorated in familiar balloons and streamers. It was so strange seeing all of my friends as humans, more so than when we were in Morgan’s world.

In Morgan’s world we had our wings and horns and magic, but our skin was the same as any other human’s. Here, there was only the fur colored skin. The rest was all mixed up. Morgan’s high school didn’t have as many lockers, or corridors, or Princess Celestia as a teacher. Spike wasn’t a dog in Morgan’s world, he was human like us.

This must be why she came before the attack. When she hadn’t appeared after Sunset stole my crown, I knew something was wrong. Lilac had woken up, staring at the mirror with a frown on her face and longing in her eyes. She was heartbroken that her mother had gone on her own.

I hadn’t been here very long, and was still so unused to this place. The similarities between this world and Morgan’s and mine had my head spinning.

Then, came Fluttershy. The human Fluttershy, who had no idea who I was. Was this how Morgan felt every time she traveled to a new land? She had to look at others who had helped her for so long and they had no idea who she was, or how much they had helped her.

Now, I was looking for the pony in charge of the Fall Formal Planning Committee, and Raspberry Stardust, and Sunset Shimmer who stole my crown.

“Fluttershy said she’d probably be in here.” I said, walking into the middle of the big gym.

“Incoming!” A nearby voice shouted.

Spike and I didn’t have proper time to move, so we ended up covered in big streamers. Standing up seemed to get all the streamers out, but I had a feeling I’d be pulling it out of my mane for the rest of the day. I walked up to the first human I saw, finding something familiar about her pink mane. Hair. It was called hair, here.

She pulled a balloon out of her skirt, blowing it up to what I knew were inhuman levels,

She turned to face me, her balloon nearly knocking me in the head. It gave me a chance to see who I was really talking to. “Hi, my name’s Twilight Sparkle and-” My eyes widened in recognition. “Pinkie Pie?”

The balloon deflating right in front of her human face. Of course, of course the party planner for the dance would be Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy brought animals to school, so of course Pinkie Pie would be in charge of parties. The room was decorated in Pinkie Pie’s style, with colorful streamers and balloons. No doubt those tables would soon be covered in cakes and a punch bowl. I shuddered, hoping that this Pinkie didn’t put Gummy in the bowl.

Like Fluttershy, she wasn’t wearing the clothes she wears when we go to Morgan’s world. It could be because these were all teenagers, and we are full grown mares. Pinkie Pie gasped, suddenly appearing behind me. She pulled me by the shirt, getting far too close. I was a little happy Raspberry wasn’t here, she would be laughing. “Are you psychic too?!”

“Uh, no. I don’t think so. Unless of course that’s something you can do here?” How close were they to their pony selves?

“Not usually.” Pinkie Pie sighed, dropping me to the ground. She skipped off, smiling.

“Fluttershy said this is where I’d find the head of the Fall Formal planning committee.” I said.

Pinkie’s hard hardened. “Fluttershy, huh? Don’t let the whole ‘shy’ thing fool you. She can be a real meanie.”

“You two aren’t friends?” I asked, disappointed.

“Waited a bit to get your name on the ballot, huh?” Pinkie, always with the non sequiturs. “Dance is day after tomorrow.”

_ Focus, Twilight. The crown. _ “I’m brand new here.”

“Ooh! I thought you didn’t look familiar.” Pinkie Pie rushed to my side, pulling at my arms and hair. “Though, now that I’m really lookin’ at you. Do you have a twin sister who lives in the city, has a pet dog named Spike that looks  just like that one?”

“Uh, maybe?” I shrugged. If human versions of my friend were here, why wouldn’t I be somewhere around her too? What was I like as a human, without these girls in my life?

Pinkie smiled. “Thought so.”

“Pinkie, careful, don’t overload the girl.” An oh-so familiar voice rang out from behind me.

I turned back, in the corner of my eye I saw Spike doing the same as we saw the approaching figure. The skin, the mane, the eyes and the clothes. It was her. I knew that smirk anywhere. Raspberry Stardust. Morgan Spencer.

The dark pink skinned girl kept smirking, walking up to the three of us and smiling at me. “Wow, Sparkle of Twilight, fancy seeing you here.”

“Raspberry do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve caused?” I asked.

“Twi, not in front of the impressionable new friend.” Morgan said, taking Pinkie’s chin in her hand and shaking it, and making a fake sad face.

“This makes the room look funny.” Pinkie laughed.

Raspberry snorted, covering it with her hand. “So, whatcha doin’ here Twilight?”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie gasped. She looked between Raspberry and I. “You know each other?!”

“Yep, she was a friend at my old school. She was elected Princess at our last dance, well, it was a tie between me and her, but still.” Raspberry lied.

Pinkie Pie gasped. “That’s awesome! Maybe you can run for Princess of the Fall Formal together against Sunset Shimmer!”

“I would, but the whole Princess thing was an accident, and I think it belongs,” Raspberry hopped over to me and wrapped an arm around my neck, “to my good friend Twilight Sparkle.”

“Raspberry...” I started.

“Okie Dokie Loki!” The human version of my friend Pinkie Pie cheered. She reached a hand into her mane and pulled out a clipboard and a blue pen. “Just need to fill this out and you are officially up for the coveted Princess of the Fall Formal crown.” She smiled.

It took me a moment to remember I couldn’t magic. Raspberry cleared her throat, gesturing to me that I had to use my hands. I carefully gripped the pen in my hands, remembering how Morgan did this back on Earth, and moved it over the clipboard. I tried to sign it, I would say I did pretty well.

“Wow! You have  _ really _ bad handwriting. It’s like you’ve never held a pen before!” Pinkie gawked.

“Oh! Let me see.” Raspberry said, slowly taking the clipboard and looking at it. “Dear Storyline Twilight, my baby brother writes better than that.”

“Anybody order a dozen cases of Fizzy Apple Cider?” Applejack’s human self asked. She was carrying a crate of apple juice bottles.

“Oh! Me! Me! Me!” Pinkie said, jumping up and down.

Applejack turned to the man walking in behind her. “Can you bring in the rest?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac too?

Applejack’s human self walked by, looking at me with interest. “Hey, I know you.”

“You do?” Oh no. Has she seen my other self?

“Sure.” Applejack grinned. “You’re the new girl who gave Sunset Shimmer the what for today.” She opened the bottle with her teeth, chugging it. Yep. Still the same Applejack.

“I heard about that too.” Raspberry elbowed me, grinning. “You make me so proud, Sparkle of Twilight.”

I rolled my eyes, finding myself smiling. She always called me that when she was trying to get on my nerves.

“Twilight Sparkle here is gonna run against Sunset Shimmer for Princess of the Fall Formal.” Pinkie told Applejack.

“Rule 64.” Raspberry coughed, nervously looking around the gym.

_ ‘Never drink when someone is about to tell you something. Obvious spit take moment is obvious.’ _ Those repeated times where Raspberry taught me her Rules, I was ever the student. I made sure to stay away from Applejack.

To prove it, she spat the apple juice all over the floor. “Ah’d think twice about  _ that. _ ” She advised. Raspberry was shaking her head, walking over to a nearby closet to grab paper towels. “Oh, sure, she’ll probably approach you all friendly like...”

Applejack pulled a floating Pinkie Pie down, taking away the heart shaped balloon.

In a minute, she held up two balloons. Sunset Shimmer on one, me on the other.

“‘I sure am lookin’ forward to some friendly competition.’” Applejack said, in a high pitched voice. She changed the voice, making it just a bit deeper for mine. “‘That’s so good to hear.’” She swung Sunset’s balloon, revealing a needle. “But then, here comes the backstabbin’.”

*pop*

“Great. Now I gotta clean up the Twilight balloon too.” Raspberry grumbled, having just cleaned up the apple juice.

Applejack let Sunset’s balloon go, only for Pinkie to catch it in her mouth. “About the only girl in this school you can trust less than Sunset Shimmer is Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow Dash?” I asked.

Pinkie Pie hopped by on another balloon. Seriously, where is she getting all of this? “She’s the captain of, like,  _ every _ team at Canterlot High.”

Raspberry and I winced as Pinkie’s balloon popped on the bleachers. 

“She’s also the captain of sayin’ she’s gonna do somethin’ for ya, and then turnin’ around and not even botherin’ to show up.” Applejack grumbled.

“Well, thank you all for the wonderful advice.” Raspberry said, wrapping Spike and I up under her arms. She dropped Spike in my backpack, moving us towards the door. “But this is something Twilight really wants to do. This girl’s more stubborn than a mule.”

Applejack shrugged. “Huh, suit yourself.”

Raspberry nodded curtly, shoving me out the door I walked in. “Hey!” I said. “Raspberry!” My friend only smiled back.

Once we got out the door, I pulled her hand off me. Raspberry only smiled innocently, putting her hands in her pocket. “I just saved you from a really embarrassing moment. You were about to call Applejack by her name.”

Even though the event hadn’t occurred, I still blushed in embarrassment. Then I remembered that I was angry at Raspberry.

I grabbed her arm as she had grabbed mine, dragging her along.

“Owowow!” Raspberry said. She didn’t fight, only whined. Her bark was worse than her bite.

==DMLC==

_ Morgan Spencer _

Twilight dragged me aside once we entered the hallway, guiding me to a dark corridor. The light overhead kept blinking in and out of existence.

“Could you be a little gentler?” I asked.

“No.” Twilight answered.

“Alright, but just know my safe word is  _ rutabaga _ , and my coltfriend will probably have words with you.”

The purple ex-pony glared at me, her purple eyes glaring harshly at my amber. “Morgan, do you have any idea how worried we all were about you?”

“Sparkle of Twilight, I had to come here on my own.” I explained, simply.

“Why couldn’t you have at least told us you left?” Twilight argued. Spike poked out from her backpack.

“You were all asleep. I didn’t wanna be rude.”

“Rude? You still left!” Twilight nearly yelled.

“I have reasons.” I said.

“Morgan, do you have any idea how scared Lilac was when she found out you left?” Twilight blamed me.

I did. I did. I knew she was scared and afraid, she was probably wondering if I was okay or not. “She’s a Stardust. She can handle it.” I said.

Twilight huffed, grabbing at her hair and pacing the corridor. “That’s not the point, Raspberry. She woke up alone, hearing you had run away.”

“I told her I was coming back.” I excused, shrugging. “And I never lie to Lilac, not anymore.”

The ex-unicorn shook her head at me.

“Can’t believe I didn’t recognize you earlier.”

Turning from the purple girl, I saw Sunset Shimmer. She was glaring at Twilight smugly. “Shoulda known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil here after my crown, and her little dog, too.” Her green gaze turned to me, she sized me up. “But you, who are you?”

I smirked, over dramatically bowing. “Raspberry Stardust, Traveler Princess. You probably don’t have the mental capabilities to figure out what that is anyway.” I boasted, rolling my eyes and looking at a locker. “I’m just here to help.”

Sunset blew me off, changing her venting towards Twilight. That was her bigger concern, it seemed. She should actually be more on edge with an unknown variable. “Whatever. This is just a minor setback for me.” Sunset kept that smug grin. I can’t wait to whack it off her face. She walked circles around us, like a shark. “You don’t know the first thing about this place, and  _ I _ already rule it.”

“I actually know more about this world than you think.” Twilight said, making me grin with pride.  _ That’s my girl _ . “If you rule it as you claim, why do you even  _ need _ my crown? You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here.”

_ ‘Wow.’ _ I thought with a eye roll.  _ ‘Almost two centuries old, and I’m stuck in a battle between two teenagers. What a time to be alive.’ _

Sunset Shimmer “Pop quiz: what happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world?” A blink. “You don’t know?  _ Seriously _ ?”

To be honest, I never wanted to take the chance, risk an Element. As great as the research purposes would be, I told Twilight the Elements were saver in Equestria. She tried convincing me, but I stayed firm on the matter. 

Sunset stopped laughing, grinning evilly at us. “And  _ you’re _ supposed to be Princess Celestia’s star student and a...whatever you are? Then again, what were the chances she’d find somepony as bright as  me to take under her wing after I decided to leave Equestria? Bit embarrassing that you two were the best she could do.”

Spike nearly leapt out of the backpack, growling at Sunset. She was unfazed, looking at her nails. “Oh, and I’d keep an eye on your mutt, Twilight. Hate for him to be...taken away from you.”

Another reason I didn’t bring Lilac. If Sunset said that to my child’s face, she wouldn’t be walking out of this hallway.

“Is that a threat?” Spike held up his paw as a fist. Twilight and I glared angrily at the orange skinned girl.

“Oh, of course not.” Sunset said condescendingly.

Spike barked.

Sunset pressed a finger to his snout. “But I’d cut down on the chatter if I were you. Don’t want everyone to know you don’t belong here, now would you?”

Okay, I know she gets redeemed at the end of all of this, and I am not one to talk about having a demon inside of your head, but this chick is just a plain old bitch. “Same goes for you, Shimmer.” I stated, keeping my voice even. She turned to me, not caring in the slightest. “How will the students take it if they find out you’re a pony? The crown belongs to Twilight, and I’ll make sure it  _ gets _ to Twilight.”

Sunset seemed a bit worried after my statement, but brushed it off. “It wouldn’t matter. You wanna be a princess here? Please. You don’t know the first thing about fitting in.”

The girl walked off, leaving both Twilight, Spike, and I in the dark hallway. She was right, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of it showing on my face.

==DMLC==

Twilight had taken the argument harder than Spike or I did. She moped around the hallways, dragging Spike and making me follow along. Well, not making me, but I wasn’t about to leave her on her own in this state.

We found a vending machine at one point. It looked like it could accept bits, so that was good. Twilight didn’t have any bits on her. She tried to kick the machine, making me wince in sympathy.

“Twi, you know I can just  give you a bit right?” I said, pulling said bit out of my bag. 

“Excuse me.” The two of us turned to see Trixie, who still looked as smug as normal. Would the me in this dimension please come kick her ass please? “The Great and Powerful Trixie needs some peanut butter crackers.”

She pushed the bit into the coin slot, walking away with her treat.

Twilight frowned, looking to the magician and the machine. I sighed, pushing my coin in and buying an apple. “Here.” I held out the fruit to her.

Twilight took the apple, but was still upset. “Sunset Shimmer is right. I don’t know the first thing about this place. Morgan’s world at least lets me use magic.” She took another bite of the apple.

We started walking down the hall. “Don’t say that. The second you admit that to the universe is the second she wins.” I advised. Twilight shrugged. “Come on, Sparkle of Twilight, use that brain of your’s. Come up with a plan. I can’t do all the work.”

“You haven’t done much from my point of view.” Twilight pointed out, innocently.

“I met Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack.” I reminded. “They seem important to me, but that could just be me.”

Twilight smiled. It was a more confident smile, like she had an idea. “If I’m gonna really fit in and win votes, we need to do some research.”

“Research?” Spike almost snorted. I gave him a look to shut the hell up before Twilight caught it.

She didn’t, thank the Story. “This place has a school.” Twilight said. “I have to believe it’s got-”

Low and behold, the door opened as if sensing the prodigal son had come home.

“A Library!” She cheered.

==DMLC==

We had been here for an hour, and so far this world only differed from my world only in species.

Twilight was better with computers here than in the movie. She wasn’t using her fists, but was still slow. It was like expecting someone who had only used typewriters to master Word. I helped where I could.

“Twilight, just don’t.” I said, trying to reach for the mouse.

Twilight pulled it away. “I don’t see the problem, Raspberry.”

“If you use bing, I will shove you to the ground.” I promised, adding a bit of a growl. A sickening thought came to me. If she knew what bing was... “Please tell me you haven’t used it back at the Centre.”

Twilight blinked innocently. “Yes.” I groaned, slamming my head into the counter. “Why is it a problem?”

“Bing doesn’t even use bing. Go to yahoo or Google. I don’t even care if you use tumblr, just please get that disgrace of a search engine out of my eyesight.” I said, turning away like a werewolf turns away silver.

My friend did so, much to her confusion.

Our search was interrupted by loud music.

Three familiar friends of my daughter were head bobbing to their song.  _ ‘When you’re a younger-’ _

Cheerilee’s human self walked over. Oh biscuits, I just remembered I have work next week. “Uh, girls, what are you doing?” She turned off the music.

Sweetie Belle looked at the teacher innocently. “We’re just seeing how many hits our new music video has gotten.”

Apple Bloom turned it back on.

_ ‘So the three of us will fight the fight...’ _

Cheerilee turned it back off. “No, just. No! The school computers are for research purposes only.”

She walked away, and the Crusaders ank into their seats. I craned my head, feeling a bit surreal at this. It was like something out of the Twilight Zone, seeing them without Lilac in real life. On TV, they looked like cartoons, but here they were actual people. My daughter wasn’t standing behind Apple Bloom, or beside Scootaloo. She wasn’t blushing at being caught by Cheerilee.

She wasn’t there. Even if she was, she would be a dog in this world. Somewhere out there was a Raspberry Stardust that had a little purple dog with blue hair, but it wasn’t a daughter. She didn’t hear Lilac’s voice, or laugh. She didn’t see the light in her eyes when you give her a banana nut muffin with rubies on top. She didn’t feel the pride in seeing her make such wonderful friends.

Apple Bloom’s voice brought me back to reality. “It’s just as well, y’all. Some of the comments about our song were really awful.  _ ‘Epic fail’... ‘Funniest thing I’ve ever seen’ _ ?”

Sweetie Belle, always the optimist, found the bright side. “Funniest thing they’ve ever seen, huh?” The three girls smiled, and it was infectious.

Twilight sat up, holding her hand up. “Uh, I don’t know that  _ that’s _ what you should take from-”

The girls were already out the door. I watched the Crusaders run off. “You said Lilac was sad?”

Twilight stopped typing on her computer, looking up at me. “Yes. She barely said a word.”

That made me feel parental guilt. It sucked. I had to make it up to her. Every time Darcy screwed up on a mission (with the last few as exceptions), I took her out for a movie and ice cream. Lilac liked TV, but taking her to a movie would only remind of where she did wrong. As for the ice cream, she was a dragon.

What do kids like more the TV and ice cream?

I looked over a Spike, coming out of Twilight’s backpack.

==DMLC==

Fluttershy showed me another one of the cages, a bunch of the most adorable cats I have ever seen scurrying about inside. They were all sorts of colors and sizes, but one stuck out.

It was a little calico kitten. The main area of her fur was white as snow, with touches of sky blue on the tips on her ears and around her forest green eyes. She was looking at me with them, bearing into my soul. The splotches around her body varied from light brown, cocoa brown and gold. Her tail was thin, a bunch of light brown splotches and a slightly darker brown splotch at the end.

“She’s perfect.” I whispered. Turning to Fluttershy, I showed off my large smile. “I want her. She’s perfect.”

The pinkette nodded. She opened the cage and picked up the strange kitten. When Fluttershy placed her in my arms, I felt her soft fur snuggling against my skin.

“Umm…do you know what you want to name her?” She asked.

“Yep. Her name is Cookie, Cookie Eleanor Stardust.” The kitten rubbed her head against me, she liked it.

We both walked over towards the main office, the kitten testing in my arms. Fluttershy helped me with all the paperwork, I paid with some of the cash I brought with me.

When all was said and done, I would have a new cat.

*ting*

Fluttershy’s phone beeped. The screen was lit up to show a photo of angel, as well as a new notification. “Oh my...” Fluttershy whispered.

“What?” She lifted the phone to me and I saw Twilight. “Smurf.”

==DMLC==

Going back to the school with my new kitten, I thought over what happened after I saw the video. Fluttershy helped me pick out a cute collar with Cookie’s full name on it, giving me some cat food and a little mouse toy for whenever. The collar was raspberry pink with a gold heart shaped tag, her name written elegantly on it along with my number. It looked just precious.

Cookie just looked up at me with her forest green eyes, rubbing her head against my dark pink jacket. Petting her lightly behind her ear, I looked up at the school grounds. It reminded me of my elementary school. A shudder went up my spine just thinking about that place. So glad I still have that feud, so glad I’ll be getting vengeance. The kitten in my arms purred, her adorability took my mind off that small it of fear. Lilac is going to love her.

It was almost too easy to sneak into the building and get to the library. Principal Celestia needs to bump up the security in this place.

Taking the quick journey to the library, I saw Twilight still doing research with Spike the dog. They both were starting to look tired.

“Hiya Twilight, howdy Spike.” I greeted.

The purple skinned girl looked up at me, she looked happy but it changed quickly to annoyance. “Morgan, tell me you didn’t.”

Spike looked towards me, noticing the little bundle in my arms. His eyes widened.

“This little cutie is Cookie Eleanor Stardust. I’ll have you know she’s a special breed; calico. Isn’t she just the sweetest little thing?” I shoved the kitten towards Twilight, letting her look into Cookie’s big green eyes.

Cookie reached paw out, bopping Twilight on the nose. Twilight looked entranced for maybe a second, before shaking her head and looking back at me. “Morgan, you can’t adopt a pet! Especially not when we’re going back home once I get my crown!”

I had this nagging feeling in the back of my head, but I let it slide. “But Twilight-”

“No Morgan! I’ve seen you do lots of reckless things, but you can’t just give this kitten false hope like that!” Twilight argued.

“Twilight, it’s just a kitten. Calm down.” Spike explained.

“Spike, Morgan got a cat!” Twilight yelled.

I was so tempted to say I saw the video, but thought against it. So I went with plan B. “Well what about all the times you did reckless crap?” I asked her.

The other princess rolled her eyes. “I’ve done reckless things, I’ll admit, but nothing as impulsive as what you’ve done!”

“Impulsive?! I think long and hard about my actions!”

“For a minute!” Twilight insulted.

She was starting to get on my nerves. “I’ll have you know, Twilight, that I have to think for hours on what I do! Do you have any idea how long I had think to help you six with Discord?”

“Really? Cause if seemed to me like you weren’t awake for most of it.” Twilight said.

Spike, meanwhile, looked ready to crawl into a hole.

Twilight’s argument made me a bit riled up. “That’s what you think? I seem to remember following after you guys even though you woke me up, then got Discord to bring Morgana out into pony  in her own pony body . Speaking of Morgana, let’s not forget the last time she came out. All because you and your friends don’t know about this new craze called personal space!”

Twilight gawked. “Personal space? You want to talk to me about personal space? How about how you butt into the lives of others every day? I saw those episodes, we could’ve handled everything ourselves!”

“Did she show you the Royal Wedding?” Twilight flinched. She did. “I guess then you saw how all your friends betrayed you for someone they had met a day before, same for your brother and mentor. How do you think I feel every time people betray me? I feel like my heart breaks. How about every time they undo every kind thing I have ever done? I feel worthless!” Twilight was silent. “I guess you wouldn’t know, what with your perfect little life.”

“My life isn’t perfect!” Twilight argued.

“You own a tree that triples as a library and home. Your assistant is a dragon. Your brother is married to your foal sitter and you two talk practically every day. You have tons of friends. You have an owl, but didn’t go to wizarding school. You’re a princess. You’re great at magic. Your friends always stick by you. Your teacher is a Princess that raises the sun. You’ve taken down three villains and walked out with barely a scratch.” I listed. “Does it seem perfect yet?”

Spike hopped up, trying to get our attention. “Guys, stop fighting! We need to figure out how to get the crown back!”

Twilight glared at me. “Perfect? I nearly lost everything at the wedding!”

“Which I stopped from happening!”

“It would’ve been stopped anyway if you hadn’t come into our lives!”

“Really? If you could go back and stop me from fixing that wedding, would you?”

“Yes! I would stop every single thing you have ever done to us! I wish I had never even knew you in the first place!”

_ “I wish you had never come to  _ ‘Child’s Play’ _ in the first place!” _ A voice bounced around in my head.

Spike and I gasped, I could tell even Cookie recoiled in shock. Twilight lifted her hands up to her face when she realized what she had just said. Now I wish she did say I killed Darcy, it would’ve hurt less.

Taking a breath, I looked at Twilight thru the tears burning in my eyes. “I wish that too. Friendship is magic? What a load of crap.”

With that, I stormed out of the library and towards the exit.

“Morgan wait!” Twilight called out.

I ignored her, going off on my merry way.

“Morgan, stop!” Spike yelled.

Not looking back, I marched towards the exit at a fast pace. I think I saw a motel in town I could use for the night. It looked decent enough.

Because I sure as hell wasn’t staying in the same building as Twilight Sparkle.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, I quickly awoke to the sound of my phone blasting the alarm. The room smelled like old sock and worse is I think that’s the best it’s smelled in years. The bed was lumpy but I got over it. I was in my jacket and jeans from the night before, apparently I had been too emotionally wrecked to change.

Cookie was off on a pillow beside me, she was asleep and looked cute as ever. She was snuggling up onto her front paws. She was a little upset after the whole ordeal, but she felt better once I gave her the pillow and rubbed behind her ears.

I hopped out of bed, walking to my purse hanging on a chair and pulling out a bright yellow hair tie. Carefully taking out the blue one I currently had on, I placed the yellow one so it would be a ponytail.

Taking care of my outfit so it wouldn’t look like I slept in it took all of ten minutes. This outfit was perfect for repeated wears, and I felt so jealous of my alternate self in this universe.

Carefully picking up Cookie, I placed her in my purse. The kitten protested lightly. “Hey, I got you a kitty toy.” I encouraged.

The kitten looked ready to hiss, until I held up the small robot mouse toy I bought last night. Her eyes went wide, instantly lashing out at the toy. I threw it into the bag, Cookie running behind it.

That, and all the other random things inside, should keep her entertained until lunchtime. I didn’t want to get caught with a cat on school grounds and be kicked out, especially when they found out I wasn’t a student.

I walked out of the motel room, making sure the door shut behind me. This hadn’t been my first time using a motel room for one night stays, which Darcy always found sad because I never used them for one night  _ stands _ .

“Hey.” A familiar voice greeted.

I paused, turning to the voice with hesitation. It was this world’s version of Bumblebee. It seemed like him at least; golden yellow skin, black hair in a blown back look, a black shirt with his cutiemark in silhouette, a  _ real  _ leather jacket worthy of a biker, and black pants. His eyes were still that familiar shade of gold, but something was off about them.

Not just that this was a completely different person (also, that he was a person and not a pony) but there was something else there. It was like a whole other layer over his eyes. I had seen that kind of thing before, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out where.

Bumblebee the human smirked at me, leaning against the wall of the motel. I feel like the whole thing would only be made more cliche if he had been wearing those wire sunglasses you see in the movies. Oh, you’re laughing? Try to remember where I am right now.  _ Equestria Girls _ the  _ movie _ .

“Hey.” I said back, gripping the strap on my bag. My nervous ticks and I.

He scanned the parking lot, as if trying not to look at me. His face turned a polite serious. “Haven’t seen you around before.”

“New in town.” I replied. “Needed a place for the night and motels are cheap.” I looked him over, then checked our surroundings. It was like an Equestrian version of Motel 6. Not bad, but not good either. “Why do you wanna know?”

Bumblebee the human pushed himself off the wall, walking a bit closer to me. He pushed his hands into his pockets. “I’m in the business of noticing new faces.” His smirk came back. “Especially the pretty ones. Got a name to go with it?”

_ ‘Do I actually know what my Bumblebee does?’ _ I thought.  _ ‘Also, does the flirting mean that every Bumblebee wants to date me, or that he’s just a giant flirt?’  _ “Raspberry.”

“That’s a fake.” Bumblebee the human said. I quirked my brow. He noticed the name, but mine didn’t? “This business, we notice fakes.”

“And call them out on it?” I questioned, finding myself smiling. “What if you call them out and then they shoot you in the face?”

Bumblebee the human blinked. “Huh. Good point.” He scratched the back of is head. My grip on my bag loosened at the familiar gesture. “I wasn’t actually supposed to tell you about the business.” He, face palming. “Still new to it myself, if you can believe it.”

“Don’t get down on yourself. You’re the first to notice it was a fake name.” I complimented. This made his smirk turn into a goofy grin. “Not bad for first introductions. But what do I call you?”

“Bumblebee.” He answered almost immediately.

“That’s fake too.” I teased. Bumblebee the human gave me a ‘really?’ grin.

“How could you tell?” He said in fake assurance. “I tried so hard.”

I laughed.  _ ‘Cause your pegasus self told me the same thing.’ _ I couldn’t say that, so I could only say “I’m in a business of fake names too.”

Bumblebee the human dropped his smile, instead looked at me with confusion. “That wasn’t a lie.”

“Oops.” I shrugged, smirking. I leaned in. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that either.” I said softly.

“You look like you’re just out of highschool.” Bumblebee the human fumbled. Man, already keeping him on his toes. 

“I’m older than I look.” I said, walking backwards just so I could see his confused face. It was really adorable. “See you around,  _ Bumblebee _ .”

“Yeah, yeah. You too,  _ Raspberry _ .” Bumblebee said, waving me off but grinning.

I smiled, brightly. This could be the beginning of a new friendship.

First, I think I need to go finish an old one.

==DMLC==

The walk back to the school was short, a few students were arriving and snickering. They saw the video.

Why did I help her get back to Equestria? She obviously disliked me. Even when I helped her brother and Mia at the Crystal Empire and their wedding. I helped with Trixie and so much more. How could she turn her back on me because of a little kitten?!

But, still. This wasn’t a good enough reason to end our friendship. We had a bigger fight when she sent herself back in time, locked me in her basement, and then I foalnapped her and took her to Canterlot. Besides, Twilight wasn’t the type to say things that were meaningful in a fight. She just said whatever came to her in the spur of the moment. She didn’t mean to remind me that my twin sister tried to murder me after Darcy said she hated me.

She better have a damn good explanation, because just thinking about it all made me angry again. And to think, I started the day on such a high note.

Either way, I didn’t get the kitten for me. I got her for Lilac. Cookie was just a little orphan, no family, probably no friends except Fluttershy. She was all alone in this big, bad world. Fluttershy seemed so sad before I offered to adopt a pet...now that I think about it, I think I was supposed to tell Twilight something about that. Not just crying Fluttershy, but there was a nagging thought.

Wait...I remember what it was!

“Raspberry!”

_ And _ , there it goes. This had been happening a lot more frequently since the Dalek Crucible.

Looking back and putting on my best smile, I turned back to see Pinkie Pie waving frantically. I ran up to her and she gripped my arm.

“Wow, what’s up Pinkie Pie?” I asked her.

Pinkie looked really worried, she began shaking me. “Have you seen it?”

It clicked. “The video about Twilight?” She nodded. “I saw it. Your point?”

The pinkette backed away for a second, it was more out of worry for Twilight than my slightly tired tone.

“It’s so bad! No one is gonna vote for her now!” Pinkie told me.

“She probably hasn’t seen it yet. We should go find her.” I added.

Pinkie’s mood shifted, she was smiling a mile wide. “Great idea!”

The pink skinned girl grabbed my wrist and started dragging me around the whole building until we ended up in a classroom with human Rarity, Applejack and a girl with purple skin, a green dress, blonde hair and a purple/green dog. Fluttershy came in behind us.

I glared at Twilight, letting her know I was still mad at her. She shrunk back a little. Spike did too.

Rarity crossed her arms. “So much for the disguise.”

“Ah’ve been lookin’ all over for ya!” Applejack said.

“Me too.” Fluttershy whispered.

“Me three!” Pinkie said, dangling from the ceiling.

“Look, I’m just following these people.” I shrugged, walking over to one of the desks. “You never needed me in the first place.”

Twilight frowned, wincing. A part of me hated throwing it back in her face, but she kinda deserved it. She’s always assumed the worst of me, ever since we met. She locked me up in her basement because she was overly paranoid, she let my daughter run off after a dragon migration to sate her curiosity, and if Twilight hadn’t found that damn spell under my bed then she wouldn’t have come to my world and Darcy would still be alive!

Okay. I guess I have a lot more suppressed hate for Twilight than I originally thought. No wonder I exploded on her last night, I’m surprised I didn’t do worse.

Pinkie ran to Twilight’s face, looking over the green dress. “I like your new look!”

“I  _ do _ have an eye for these sorts of things.” The fashionista stuck her nose up. “Not that  _ you _ seem to care.”

“What?!” Pinkie screeched.

“Why do you think she doesn’t care?” Twilight asked. Applejack, Fluttershy, and I immediately started giving her signals to shut them hell up. “No, never mind. Why were you all looking for me? What’s going on?” She took off her wig.

“Oh, she hasn’t seen it yet.” Fluttershy realized. Everyone winced sympathetically.

“Seen what?” Twilight asked, being guided by Rarity into the seat beside me.

Pinkie brought out her pink laptop, opening it to the video in her email. “Oh, it’s really not that bad.”

I turned my head away, not wanting to watch it a second time. I was a sympathetic person, meaning I felt just as much humiliation from the video as Twilight did. It didn’t show her ridiculous gorilla hands on the computer, but there was a lot of walking into doors and trying to eat a book. There was even the awkward thing with the fax machine.

One look from Spike told me he was just as worried as I was. Cookie, however, just popped out of my bag to show me she had caught the mouse. I glanced at the laptop, seeing an image of Twilight leaping away from the fax machine, then gave her a scratch behind the ears.

“Wha...I...” Twilight closed the laptop, slumping in her seat out of shock. The girls and I looked at her with sadness. We knew how far Sunset Shimmer would go. You didn’t wanna see the stuff she did to Rarity in  _ her _ video.

“I take that back. It’s pretty bad!” Pinkie said.

“But this all happened  _ yesterday _ ! At the library!” Twilight looked to us. “Has everyone in the school seen this? Is that why they were all looking at me that way?”

No one could look Twilight in the eyes. 

“What am I gonna do?” The purple alicorn princess was starting panic. “No one is gonna vote for me after seeing  _ this _ !”

Fluttershy came to her side, giving her a gentle smile. “Not that it’ll make any difference, but I’ll still vote for you.” Twilight thunked her head on her desk. Fluttershy was a good friend, but we needed all the votes to get the crown from Sunset Shimmer. Equestria depended on it. “You were so nice to stand up for me when Sunset Shimmer was picking on me yesterday.”

“If ya still wanna run, maybe there’s something  _ I _ can do to help!” Pinkie offered.

Fluttershy glared at her fellow pinkette. “Word of advice? Don’t accept  _ her _ help. She doesn’t take anything seriously!”

“Ugh!” Pinkie stomped her foot. “Why do you have to be so awful to me?”

Rarity scoffed, albeit in her own way. “Don’t play innocent, Pinkie Pie! You are no better than  _ she _ is!”

I’ll admit, hearing Rarity and Fluttershy not getting along was the most unbelievable thing about this world. Once a week in Equestria, the two would go out to the spa to talk! Granted, Rarity did most of the talking, but still!

The party person gasped, glaring her blue eyes at the fashionista. “And what is  _ that _ supposed to mean?!”

Rarity ignored the comment, leaning down to the confused Twilight’s side. I picked Cookie up, brushing her calico coat. The kitten purred, rubbing her head against my pink hoodie. “ _ I _ am happy to offer up my assistance as well.” She threw a glare at Pinkie. “To someone who would appreciate what I have to offer!”

The three girls all started yelling over each other. I rolled my eyes, moving Cookie and I to a chair closer the door. It was quieter back here, and just a bit further away from Twilight. The purple alicorn was hunched in her chair, struggling being in the middle of their argument.

“Listen to y’all carryin’ on!” Applejack suddenly shouted. She crossed her arms, turning her nose at us. “Get over it and move on!”

“You mean like how  _ you’ve _ gotten over what happened with Rainbow Dash?” Rarity pointed out accusingly.

“She said she’d get the softball team to make an appearance at my bake sale.” Applejack explained, almost angrily. “I tell everybody they’re comin’, and then not one of ‘em shows up! She made a liar outta me! That’s different!”

“Is not!” Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity argued.

“Is too!” Applejack argued back.

I shut my eyes, leaning back in my chair. Why did I come to a high school again? Thee arguments got on my nerves.

“Enough.” I barked, not opening my eyes. The arguing stopped immediately. I felt their eyes on me. Cookie meowed, rubbing her head on my hand to calm me down. “Twilight, show them that book before I end up hurting somebody.”

Twilight paused, about to ask me how I knew what she was talking about. Her lips snapped shut, a faint pink blush on her cheeks telling me she remembered. Spike gave her the yearbook. “Here. Let me show you something. You were friends once.”

Applejack “Hmm. The Freshman Fair. Y’all remember?” The three girls nodded in agreement.

Twilight Sparkle “But something happened. I think that something was Sunset Shimmer.”

That bacon haired  _ bitch _ ! She wanted Twilight and I at odds, to be fighting. Our fight would cause us to delay, give Sunset enough time to take the Element of Magic. I fell right into it, not even fighting.

Sunset Shimmer made me go  native . She’s  _ good _ .

“Well, it’s a nice theory, darling, but Sunset Shimmer had nothing to do with it.” Rarity said. 

“She’s right. Sunset Shimmer isn’t the one who ruined my silent auction for the animal shelter by bringing fireworks and noisemakers” The yellow teen said, sending a quick glare to the bright pink one. “It was supposed to be a serious event, and Pinkie Pie ruined it!”

“What are you talking about?” Pinkie asked. She pulled out her phone. “I got a text from you saying that you didn’t want a silent auction. You wanted a big party!”

“Uh?” Fluttershy reeled back. “I never sent you a text!”

Pinkie looked down at her phone. “You didn’t?”

“You don’t think she’s the one who’s been sending me those emails, do you?” Rarity asked. They all looked at her blankly. “Every time I volunteer to help with the decorations at a school function, I get an email from Pinkie Pie saying she has plenty of volunteers! And  _ then _ I find out she’s done everything herself.”

“I never sent you any emails...”

“It would be easy to hack.” I commented. “Your phone, I mean. Sunset would just have to grab it when you were setting up a party, type in the password, and then do the damage. The email is easier, since you wouldn’t have it on your person at all times.”

“She could never guess me password!” Pinkie said. “It’s a secret!”

“ _ CupcakemakerPartyPlannerPinkaminaDianePie.” _ I droned.

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “You  are psychic.” I smiled smugly, making a dramatic bow with my arm before stuffing it back in my pocket.

Twilight glanced back at me. She knew I could figure things out quickly, that I had managed 

“Maybe  _ she’s _ the reason Rainbow Dash didn’t show up for my bake sale!” Applejack realized.

“Wow. That’s horrible.” I said, my tone condescending. “And I bet you marched right up to her and gave her what for.”

The farm girl took off her hat, bashful. “Heh, I guess I kinda stopped talkin’ to her at  _ all _ after that.”

Twilight Sparkle stood up, walking to her friend’s human double. She took the hat, putting it on Applejack’s head “Maybe now would be a good time to start.” She turned to me, an apologetic look on her face. “And speaking of apologizing. Raspberry-”

“I’m fine. You go and do your thing.” I assured, smiling kindly. Now I that I knew this was Sunset’s plan, I was determined to work against it. Twilight needed me right now, and we needed to fix what Sunset broke.

Twilight shook her head, walking over to me. “I’m so sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn’t mean-”

“Twilight, we’re cool. Go save their friendship.” I said, trying to get her to go. “It needs to be fixed.”

She didn’t take that for an answer. “So does our’s. I didn’t mean any of what I said last night. I was just stressed out from...everything.”

I started glaring. She was like my stubborn little sister at times like this. “Twilight.  _ Go _ .”

“But-”

I groaned. In a rush, I put Cookie in the bag, wrapped it over my shoulder, grabbed Twilight’s bag, threw it at her, and dragged her out the door.

“I can explain on the way of our bigger problem.”

==DMLC==

“Of  _ course.”  _ Twilight started shaking her in dismay. I had just finished explaining what I had put together about Sunset. Spike and Cookie listened in, though only Spike looked like he understood. Cookie was chewing on her mouse toy.

“She knows who my friends are, it would make sense she knows about you too.” Twilight said. “Making us fight would keep us from finding the crown.”

I nodded, leaning back on the bleachers. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still hurt over what you said. A lot of it went over the line, Sparkle of Twilight, a lot of it.”

“I know. I knew as soon as I said it that I couldn’t take them back.” Twilight said, sounding ashamed of herself. “I was too busy trying to be better than what Sunset said about me, trying to be better at blending in like you, when instead I just blew up at you.”

“Which is, ironically, what I would’ve done to you.” I joked. Twilight had a ghost of a smile. “You were trying to be like me?” I said after a short pause. 

Her purple cheeks turned red. “Well, yeah. You taught me your pre-traveling method of planning. How to notice their behavior to realize the proper motivation. I mean, you figured all of this out listening to our friends doubles argue.”

“It was obvious Subset would go back to an old method to deal with a new threat.” I shrugged. “If it ain’t broke, ya know.”

“Exactly my point!” Twilight said. “You’re deductive reasoning is amazing.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m like the Oracle from the Matrix. I don’t know what’s happening, but I’ve seen it a thousand times. After a while, you realize they’re all the same stories with different characters.”

Twilight paused, a bit confused at the reference. Haven’t I shown her the Matrix yet?

“Any way.” I moved on. “Now that we know Sunset’s motive, she can’t trick us twice. Only problem is that once she sees we’ve resolved our problems, she’ll try a different tactic.”

My friend nodded. “Which means we actually  _ have _ resolved them. Once we get Rainbow onboard, and come up with a plan to stop her, we’ll talk about the fight.”

“I’d rather not.” I admitted. “But...to keep it from happening again, fine.”

“They’re actually talking! That’s a good sign!” Rarity said, just as soon as Twilight and I finished.

After a brief argument, Applejack and Rainbow Dash hugged.

Pinkie Pie squealed. “Hugs! Ooh, hugs are always good!”

That has got to be the quickest friendship repair I have ever seen.

Applejack walked up to us, Rainbow carrying a soccer ball followed behind. “ _ Somebody _ , and I think we can all guess who, told Rainbow Dash that my bake sale had been moved to a different day. Dash showed up with all the softball team and thought  _ I’d _ cancelled on  _ her _ !”

The others frowned, it coming together just how much evil Sunset has done to them.

“So you’re lookin’ to dethrone Sunset Shimmer and become Princess of the Fall Formal, huh?” Rainbow asked Twilight.

The alicorn nodded, her neck almost squeaking.

“Gotta say, I’d  _ really _ love to see that happen.” The athlete said. “I’ll  _ totally _ help you out! All you gotta do is beat me in a game of one-on-one.”

“What?” The librarian gaped in horror. 

“First to five goals wins.” Rainbow kicked the ball, it blasting into the net at fire setting speeds. “One-zip!”

Twilight turned to me, a pleading look on her face. I looked her straight in the eyes. “What do you want written on your gravestone?”

Her frown deepened.

==DMLC==

“That’s game!” Rainbow announced.

I’ve murdered people in less brutal ways. Twilight was lying on the ground, panting. The humans, the pets, and I gathered around her, trying to be comforting.

“I...really thought you were gonna... pull it off there in the end!” Rarity laughed nervously.

My hand reached for Twilight’s helping her to her feet. “No. No, that was brutal. I’m surprised you’re still alive after a beating like that.”

The student winced. She leaned on me for support, the game having superhero out.

Rainbow smiled, coming to our side. “So what’s the plan? How can I help  _ you _ be princess instead of Sunset Shimmer?”

“But...I...lost!” Twilight panted.

“Of course you lost. I’m awesome!” The athlete bragged in a way that only Rainbow Dash’s double could. “But I’m not gonna help just  _ anybody _ try and beat Sunset Shimmer. The Fall Formal Princess should be someone with heart  _ and _ determination. You’ve proved that you’ve got ‘em both!”

The rest of us wrapped Twilight up a group hug, cheering.

==DMLC==

The others were all sitting by the booth, shakes in hand. Twilight was standing beside me, waiting on her order.

Mrs. Cake handed me a peanut butter chocolate banana milkshake, also with whipped cream. What? I have a sweet tooth. While giving her the necessary cash, I felt someone walk up behind me. Not in a way that was dangerous, and definitely not in a way that was dangerous. I smiled, shaking my head. Wow, still no better on sneaking up on people even in this universe huh?

“You  are in high school.” Bumblebee said softly.

I smirked. “I prefer to think of it as I’ve gone undercover.” I turned to face him.

He looked the same as he did this morning, albeit this time his hair was brushed and he smelled nicer. Or, maybe that was just the atmosphere- _ Hold on, did i just say he smelled nice? _

I shook my head, forcing myself back into reality. “To help stop a mob boss intent on destroying the city.”

Bumblebee chuckled, glancing at my new friends. “Kinda like in  _ 21 Jump Street _ ?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Except, a billion times more dangerous.”

“Sounds fun.” The man looked back to me, curious. “Is that the fake name business you’re in?”

“Mhh-hmm.” I took a sip of my milkshake. “Gotta get back to work.”

Bumblebee grinned. He walked around me, to the counter. “I won’t stop you. Tell me how it goes later.”

“Don’t have your number.” The sentence came out like a request. Pulling my phone out, I created a new contact for Bumblebee. “Give it to me.”

“Somebody’s forward.” Bumblebee commented. He took the phone though, glancing at me as he typed in the number. “I like forward.” He held the phone back out to me.

“I’m a forward person. Sometimes.” The last part came out like an afterthought. I took my phone back, biting my lip in nerves. “See you around,  _ Bumblebee _ .” I waved, walking back to the couch.

He waved back. “Not if I see you first,  _ Raspberry _ .” He walked up to the booth, waiting for Mrs. Cake.

I shamelessly checked to see if he was-  _ Yep. Medium build. Just like his alternate self. _ .

“What just happened?” Twilight gaped at me.

I sipped at my shake. “I think I was possessed by the spirit of Darcy Anderson, and asked for his number.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “Bumble...hold on. That was the the stallion you went on the date with in Ponyville!”

“So he was.” I cheered, sipping my milkshake. “And apparently, he likes me in either dimension. That’s a real ego boost. I mean, not that I really need one, but to get both versions of the same guy to like me is impressive.”

“I did tell you that your relationship could be improving your...problem.” Twilight reminded me. “Could it have the same effect with the same stallion-err, man?”

“How should I know?” I shook my head. “ _ Boys _ are a whole different ball game. One only Darcy mastered.” With that said, I walked over to the couch to let Twilight order.

Sitting down, I started thinking about the Bumblebee in my universe. He said he had been following me, trying to work up the guts to ask me out. Would this Bumblebee be the same? No way. I was  not going to that dance without a date, not this time.

I let Cookie out of her bag, giving her a few cat treats. Looking at her reminded me of Lilac, and how she and Bumblebee had gotten along so well after they met. He was different, he was good with kids, and he took time to actually figure out what I liked before taking me on a date.

Yeah, he was lying about a lot. I was too. Who knows, maybe we’ll both end up confessing our secrets and have one of those adorable arguments where the other says their secret is worse and then they both just agree to disagree.

His human self walked by, winking at me. This caused me to start blushing, using m shake to cover it. I winked back, the two of us keeping eyes on the other until he walked out.

The romantic in me had woken up, and like a dragon it wouldn’t go back sleep. I was starting to think of places I could take him for dates (both in Equestria and not) when Twilight walked back up to the couch. She was blushing heavily, and twirling a lock of her blue hair.

“See. See. I told you.” I lightly teased. “Whole different ball game.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Rarity chided her. “You’re already trying to get her crown. Who  _ knows _ what Sunset Shimmer would do if you ended up getting her ex-boyfriend too?”

“I’m not trying to.” Twilight began, nervous. “I don’t even know... We just accidentally...” She winced, looking back to the orange teen. “ _ Ex _ -boyfriend?”

“Flash Sentry broke up with her a few weeks ago.” Fluttershy explained. “I can’t believe she hasn’t done something awful to him yet.”

The teen walked by, so we all pretended to be more interested in our drinks. Twilight, unfortunately, didn’t have one. So she was able to watch Flash leave, and he could watch her back.

Twilight looked over at me. “Maybe she’s just waiting until she has the power to do something  _ really _ awful.”

I gave her a grim look, telling her she was right. 

Applejack stood up, legs hanging in her chair. “Alright, girls.” She called our attention. “Dance is tomorrow night, and we still don’t know how we’re gonna get Twilight the votes she needs to be named princess.” She started pacing, marching up to grab Twilight’s arms. “Right now, folks only know the Twilight from the videos Sunset Shimmer posted online. We need to help ‘em see her differently.”

“I’VE GOT IT!” Rarity screamed.

The girls all jumped, looking up at the fashionista. Everyone else in the cafe joined in, looking with both concerned and  _ ‘what the fuck?’ _ faces.

Rarity seemed to notice the attention, cheeks turning pink for a moment. “Ahem. I mean, um, perhaps I have a solution.” She said in a calmer voice. She reached for her backpack. “Now this may be an absolutely preposterous idea, but what if we all wore  _ these _ as a sign of unity?” In her white hands were some blue and yellows horse themed headbands and belts.

“Okay. I’m intrigued.” I said, leaning forward in my couch seat. “How do those help?”

Rarity placed them on her head. “Freshman year, they were very, very popular. A way for everybody to show their school spirit! You know? ‘Go, Canterlot Wondercolts!’” She hopped in place, cheering.

We got a few glances from other patrons.

“Ahem. I haven’t sold any in ages.” She admitted, getting more and handing them out. “I mean, the five of us are obviously very different, but deep down, we’re all Canterlot Wondercolts!”

She handed one to me. I smiled, fixing the accessories on my body. I looked good in blue, what could I say? Twilight smiled thankfully at me, it was a small thing showing her I wasn’t completely mad about our argument.

“Sunset Shimmer is the one who divided us, Twilight Sparkle is the one who united us. And we’re gonna let everyone know it!” Rarity put a headband on Twilight’s head, standing proudly at her inspiring speech. “What do you think?”

The girls all gave thumbs-up, I nodded, and Spike looked at Rarity with hearts in his eyes. The fashionista, in turn, hugged Twilight.

==DMLC==

I had bought us a motel room for the night, guiding Twilight to her bed. Once she was settled, I sat across from her. “Okay.” I said. “Let’s resolve our issues so Sunset can’t use them against us.”

Twilight winced, reconsidering her idea. Spike climbed out of the backpack, going to Twilight’s side. “Well, I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything. You two were fighting, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“I don’t blame you, Spike.” I said.

“Neither do I.” Twilight agreed. She scratched his head, making his tongue lag out. “This fight was caused by the two of us. We’re grown-ups, and we fought like teenagers. We should have known better.”

Cookie walked into my lap, snuggling against my hoodie. I brushed down on her fur, making her purr. “Firstly, we address the fact you said I was impulsive.”

“Actually, I was thinking we should start-”

“I’m a control freak. Don’t make me hurt you.” I warned, teasingly. Twilight smiled back. “Anyway, my impulsiveness. While it is true that I will sometimes make the occasional n-the-spot decision, it’s not in the moment. Cookie wasn’t adopted cause because I thought it would be cool to have a kitten.”

“I don’t want to sound rude, but why did you?” Twilight asked. “You didn’t seem the type to want a cat, especially with your life being as it is.”

“Fluttershy was crying.” I explained. “Her human self, anyway. Nobody was coming to adopt animals from the animal shelter-”

“And there is no way you could say no to a crying Fluttershy.” Twilight realized. “Especially one you’d just met.”

Cookie purred, so I fed her another cat treat. “That was a part of it.” I said. “Another part was that I thought Lilac would like a pet.”

“Of course.” Twilight face palmed. “I had almost forgotten about Lilac. You were so upset about her when you left to get Cookie. You adopted her as a gift to say sorry.”

“I’m rubbing off on you.” I bragged.

Twilight blushed, not accepting the praise. “It’s how you’ve always said sorry. Gifts.” I tilted my head, waiting for an elaboration. “You bought all of us phones from your world, you took us on a trip to that Disney World place, and you paid off the Chamberlin family mortgage.”

“You know about that?” I said, surprised.

She twirled her hair. “Felicity Chamberlin told me over a cup of coffee.” She confessed. “Anyway, you did all of this to say sorry for all of the trouble you thought you put us through. When in reality, it was Dominic Ch-”

“Don’t say his name.” I warned. Twilight and Spike blinked at me. “It still hurts.”

Twilight respected my request. “It was none of our faults.” Twilight continued. “You don’t need to feel guilty over it. You still hand out gifts for us. Gifts are just how you talk to us, and I bet Lilac is going to love her’s.”

A look of pure thanks was on my face, I cuddled with Cookie. “Aww. That was so sweet.” I put the kitten on the bed, giving her the mouse toy. She went nuts over it. “And Twilight, back to my original point, I have to think my every action through.”

“How so?” Twilight asked.

“Let’s take the wedding, since it was brought up.” I began. “I get to Canterlot, see the pink bubble in place. My eyes had the spell exposing changelings because of an attack on my house as a foal. I tell everyone Chrysalis is a changeling, they take her away. She calls her changelings. You guys aren’t even in town to stop it, and Mia is lost in the mines. We lose.”

“Why did you side with her?” Spike asked. “If you knew she was a changeling, then why do it at all?”

I winced. “The rehearsal.” They winced with me. “I would have been standing in the room, guys. Chrysalis would have expected me to scream at you too. I would have had to watch you start to cry, with the knowledge that I could have stopped that but instead I made it worse. I would have had to bully you, Sparkle of Twilight, and I swore I would never be the bully after it had been done to me.”

“That’s why you had Chrysalis send me away sooner.” Twilight said. “Before the rehearsal. To save yourself from being the bully?”

“Cause I  couldn’t be the bully. I wouldn’t be able to say anything, and then Chrysalis would know I wasn’t actually going to help her, and she’d send us both into the Caverns.” I explained. “I gave you and Mia the time you needed to get to the chapel on time.”

Twilight blinked. “You weren’t saving yourself?”

“I never save myself. I’m too busy saving you.” I admitted. “Darcy’s proof of that.” This caused me to wince. “Which brings me to my next point.”

“But, neither of you never talked about Darcy last night.” Spike pointed out.

“Twilight did, unintentionally.” I added.

Twilight looked at me in shock. “How?”

I pulled Cookie into my lap, along with her toy. She was too busy playing to notice the change. “I told you guys about how she died the first time?”

“The rollercoaster.” Twilight said. Her eyes almost welled with tears. “I told you I wished you’d never come to us in the first place, just like Darcy did.” I nodded. “Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry Morg-”

“You didn’t mean it, just like she didn’t.” I assured. “They were just things that came up in the argument. I knew that beneath all that anger you were still my friend, and that you appreciated it.” I snickered. “I gave you access to a source of unlimited knowledge: the internet. How could you hate me?”

Spike laughed, getting a small glare from Twilight. “You do like studying.”

She blushed. She hugged Spike, then hugged me. “Friends?”

I hugged her back. “We never stopped.” I ended the hug, giving her and Spike a serious face. “Now, let me settle one more thing.” I pointed a warning finger at Twilight. “If you tell  _ anyone _ about the Bumblebee in the cafe, I will tell them about Flash.”

Spike laughed again, Cookie meowed loudly. Twilight only blushed. “Deal.”

Soon after, we got ready for bed and went to sleep. Tomorrow, we go after Sunset.


	11. Chapter 11

_ “Jump up, make a sound! Stomp your hooves, turn around! Start now, make a change! Canterlot Wondercolts, help her win the crown!” _

“I can’t believe you managed to film all of it.” Twilight said, watching the video from my phone.

I grinned. “And it already has twice the views Sunset’s smear video does.” I said, making the others in our group smile. Closing the phone, I stuffed it into my Canterlot Wondercolts hoodie pocket.

The seven (eight including Spike) were walking down the hallway, completely decked out in blue and gold. Twilight and I were walking at the head of the pack, with the rest spanned out behind us as our entourage.

Twilight wore her outfit as regally as she did her crown. She was being smiled at by the teenagers, with the occasional wave and hello.

We had spent an hour last night choreographing the dance (Pinkie was amazing at this stuff), and then getting uniforms from Rarity. The girls were enthusiastic about the song, which made Twilight hopeful for her crown.

Spike and I stayed in the corner with the music. I spend the five minutes before the cafeteria opened putting up the tiny cameras I had stolen from the  _ Spy Kids _ movie. I was really proud at how it ended up.

As I said, it has twice the views at Sunset’s video. This was sure to get votes, along with cleaning up the gym later. More than that, it put Twilight in a higher moral position than Sunset. Sunset made smear videos, and got her competitors in trouble, Twilight sang at lunch and brought people together. 

I hooked my arm around Twilight’s, patting her hand almost patronizingly. “Sparkle of Twilight, as your campaign manager-”

“Which I never remember us deciding-”

“-I thought it would be a good idea to film it, and let the other kids watch it.” I said, ignoring her complaint. It made Twilight and Spike roll their eyes, smiling. “In elections, you need to get the students aware about you, and your campaign.”

Twilight nodded. “So, the video will be seen by anyone who wasn’t in the kitchen. They’ll see it and vote for me.”

“Learning you are.” I said in a Yoda impression. Twilight didn’t react to it, Pinkie and Spike snickered though. I guess this Pinkie liked  _ Star Wars _ too. “Once enough people see it, your victory is a shoe in. If not, I have a plan in the works to ensure a landslide.”

Twilight eyed me suspiciously. I smiled, mischievously. “It’s  _ legal _ .” I assured. The girls just smiled.

“Is it  _ safe _ ?” Twilight argued.

“It’s  _ legal _ .”

Twilight groaned, face palming. Spike and I laughed. “Sparkle of Twilight, chill. If all goes right, Sunset will have done most of the work herself.”

“Alright. I trust you, Raspberry.” My friend said, holding her backpack tighter with her free hand.

“A poor choice, really.” I joked, grinning. Twilight rolled her eyes, lightly shoving me away. It was enough to free her from my grasp.

There was silence for a minute or so, until Rarity nearly burst with excitement. “Doesn’t everyone look just fabulous?”

Twilight smiled. “It was a great idea, Rarity!”

The fashionista beamed at the praise.

The hallway suddenly fell into an uneasy quiet. A quick look down the hall showed Sunset, strutting our way. Snips and Snails were behind her, acting as the muscle. There was a dark look in Sunset’s mint green eyes, though it only made me smile back.

“Don’t know what she’s smilin’ about. Twilight’s the one that’s gonna be Princess of the Fall Formal.” Applejack said, irritated.

I winked at the ex-unicorn as she was past us, looping my arm around Twilight’s.  _ ‘Good luck beating us both.’ _ Sunset’s confident smirk changed into a worried frown, though I knew it was all for her act. She knocked on VP Luna’s door. All I had to do was wait.

==DMLC==

Not even five minutes had gone by when VP Luna had asked Twilight into her office. I sat on the floor by the door, waiting for Flash to come running. Cookie crawled out of the bag, happily chewing on her toy.

The calico kitten turned to me, smiling brightly as the toy squeaked.

“Lilac is gonna love you.” I thought out loud. Cookie titled her head. “That’s right, I haven’t you much about her have I?”

Cookie ran into my lap. I slouched against the wall, brushing on her soft fur.

“She’s my daughter. I know, I know, I look young. Don’t give me that look, I’m almost 200 years old. Anyway, Lilac’s only ten years old-again  _ stop _ giving me that _ look _ \- so she doesn’t know all of what I do yet. I tried being a good mom, but I don’t think it’s working.”

Cookie purred a negative.

“If you knew what I’ve done to her, you wouldn’t be purring that.” I sighed. “I’ve let her be used as bait, let dragons trick her into turning into a monster, let Vikings use her as a compass-okay you give me that look one more time you go back in the Bag-, and she’s not allowed in my church anymore because everyone thinks she’s an angel or demon or something.” I explained, rubbing at the vein in my forehead.

I think Darcy called this one Thomas, or was it Sam? I can never remember.

“She helped me Plan what to do here, and she was amazing at it.” I said, full of pride for her. “You should’ve seen her, Cookie, it was like she had been doing it since she was hatched.”

Cookie hopped out of my legs, going to her toy. I laughed under my breath, she hadn’t wanted to be put back in the Bag I guess.

“She loves art, and she’s started reading those Nancy Drew books. She has the three best friends a girl could have, way more than I had as a kid.” Cookie tossed the toy at me. I smiled, tossing it to the other side of the hall so we could play fetch. “She’s why I adopted you. You’re a present for her, so that if I ever have to leave her behind like I did this time, at least she’ll have company.”

Cookie brought the mouse toy to me, holding it in her maw. Her green eyes blinked innocently, as if she had no idea what I had been saying. She was all for playtime now.

“Another reason you’ll be a good pet for Lilac.” I commented, throwing the toy again. Cookie dutifully went after it. “You’re an amazing distraction.”

The fifth time she brought the mouse back, Flash came bounding down the hall. I lifted Cookie in the bag, opening the door for him. “Sir Fla-”

He didn’t even let me finish my joke, storming in her office. “Vice Principal Luna. I found these in a trash can in the library.”

I rolled my eyes, smirking. “Whole different ball game.” I joked, leaning against the doorframe.

Flash handed VP Luna a few cut out photos of Twilight failing at soccer. “Thought you should see them.” Luna took the photos, comparing them to the doctored photos of the gym. “Someone obviously combined these photos to make it look like Twilight was the one who trashed the gym.”

Pushing myself off the frame, I walked up to Twilight’s side. She was staring hopefully at VP Luna. “It’s also stands to reason that whoever gave you those photos took part in the conspiracy.” I explained to the vice principal.

Luna looked at me. “You believe so?” I nodded. This news gave her pause. “I appreciate you bringing these to my attention, Flash, Raspberry. In light of this new evidence, you may of course continue your bid to be crowned the Princess of the Fall Formal. While Sunset Shimmer will not.”

I smiled, smugly. Turning my face to Twilight, I saw the realization of what Luna was saying in her purple eyes.

“I told you Sunset would end up doing it to herself.” I said, putting my hands in my pockets in mock humility. “No need to thank me, Sparkle of Twilight.”

“Thank you!” My friend said, though to Flash. I could only grin, seeing the orange human nearly blush under her hug. “You have no idea how important this is to me!”

She blushed, realizing she had poured herself into his arms. She glanced at me, embarrassed. I winked at her. 

Flash laughed nervously. Twilight started tugging on a lock of her hair again. “What was I gonna do?  _ Not _ prove your innocence? Wouldn’t be much of a Canterlot Wondercolt, would I?”

Twilight was blushing. I smiled, my mind already going through ways of getting her a date with Flash the Pegasus.

Luna sighed, rising up from her seat. “I am afraid enough damage has been done to the gym that we will have to postpone the dance until tomorrow night.”

She walked out the door, leaving us alone to realize the problem. “If you will excuse me, I need to let my sister know about this latest development.”

I held out my arm, a bored expression on my face.

“So, uh, I was wondering.” Flash said, nervously. “If you aren’t already going with somebody, wanna go to the Fall Formal with me tomorrow night?”

They maintained eye contact, Twilight’s eyes inflating to nearly cover her whole face. She sighed, happily.

“That would be...”

And just like that, their bubble burst. 

“ _ Tomorrow night!? _ ” She started panicking, stomping her legs on the ground like she had seen a spider. I braced myself. “No, no-no-no-no-no, no no no no no! Nonononono! I can’t!”

She grabbed her backpack, then my arm. I smiled kind heartedly as she dragged us away.

“The portal! That’ll be too late!” She panicked.

“We’ll talk later, Flash!” I called back to him, not hearing his reply.

==DMLC==

Twilight accidentally let go of my hand as she ran down the city streets. I took it slowly, pulling my phone out. There were no notifications, so I had nothing to really do at the moment. It was  _ boring _ .

It hadn’t taken long to get to the Boutique. A part of me thinks Twilight got lost in her panic, as I saw nobody crowding around her dressing room. Honestly, I can’t take that alicorn  _ anywhere _ . It was embarrassing.

I pulled my phone out, Flash reminding me of something. It was time to go native.

_ ‘Ya know, there’s gonna be this big dance tonight at the high school I’m surveying. Canterlot High. It’ll blow my cover if I show up without a date.’ _ I texted Bumblebee.

There wasn’t even a full minute of wait. My phone buzzed (unintentional pun, I swear) with a text in his personalized tone. Not a bee, no, the TARDIS noise. It was my Whovian detector.

_ ‘Oh? Well, in this business we can’t go messing up covers.’ _ He replied.

_ ‘Messing up the covers is the fun part _ .’ The Darcy part of my brain supplied. I fought the blush coming to my face.

_ ‘So, whattaya say?’ _ I bit my lip, nervous. Why did Darcy never tell me how much fun this was? Would I ever get to do with this with Bee? Would I tell him about me, and give him a phone so we could send flirty texts while everyone else was being serious around us? _ ‘Wanna come help me stop a mob boss at homecoming?’ _

I mean, we had only been dating for a little over a week. Not even Disney went that fast. At the same time...he was so good with Lilac, and he actually took time to figure out what stuff I liked instead of deciding for me. He liked popcorn, which was a deal breaker for me. He could eat ice cream like a  boss , and let’s not forget how awkward he had been when meeting me.

There was so much I still didn’t know about him. He had told me some about his family, how they were distant. That was all I knew about him that was personal. What was his real name? What does Bee do for a living? Is it the same thing (or the pony version) that Bumblebee does? Why, of all the mares in Equestria, did he pick me?

Maybe I should ask him more about himself when I got back.

My phone  _ vroom vroom _ ed with a message.  _ ‘Will there be danger?’ _

_ ‘Definitely.’ _ I said, seeing Twilight running up.

_ ‘Is there a chance I could die?’ _ He texted.

I shrugged. My fellow princess ran past me, throwing open the doors of the Boutique.  _ ‘Part of the fun ;)’ _

I followed her into the building, still staring at my phone. Say what you want about my generation, but the highly skilled can do a lot while also staring at their phone.

_ ‘Sounds like a date ;)’ _ He replied.

A giddy smile came to my face, and a light hearted laugh. It was  _ that _ close to be a squeal. There was a high school dance, and I had a  _ date _ !

I nodded my head towards her stall. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked, feeling chill.

“I don’t know.” Rarity said, baffled. “She just ran right in. She said everything was fine, but.”

My arms went up, in surrender. “Okay. I got this.” I said, walking up to her door. I slouched against it, pressing the side of my face against it.

_ “...when they find out how different I really am?” _ Twilight’s voice came through faintly.

A heartbroken frown set in on my face, making me drop to the ground dejectedly. Oh, I hated this part of the movie. It hit too close to home. This was my thought process for whenever I made a close friend, just a few short years ago.

Twilight shouldn’t have had to go through this. No one should. They should know they are accepted always, no matter what they’ve done.

Sunset did this to her. She made Twilight doubt how wonderful a pony she was. The bacon haired bitch was a bully, through and through. I’m already in one feud with one bully, what’s one more?

No. She becomes a good guy once all is said and done. Guess I’ll just have to make do with seeing her evil plan fall apart.

_ “Twilight, these girls rallied around you ‘cause they saw what was in your heart.” _ Spike encouraged, warming my heart. “ _ They aren’t gonna feel any differently about you when they find out you’re a pony princess in Equestria.” _

“Twilight, I know what you’re going through.” I said, confident that this would be the right thing to share. “Every day I spent in Equestria before you found out, I wondered what you would think of me. That’s always been my biggest fear, that you would find out and hate me.”

_ “I thought it was tests.” _ Twilight joked, voice flat.

I smirked, remembering the fear of test thing I told her about when she shared her cutiemark story. “Tests are in the top ten. Fear of not being accepted, that’s gotta be tied for first.”

There was some heavy silence after.

“You have to remember, Sparkle of Twilight. You’re friends accepted me back Home, so these girls should too.” I said, firmly. “ _ You _ accepted me, and you were the one the biggest problem with me.”

_ “You told me just the other night that we ruined your life.” _ Twilight said, sounding like she was about to cry.

“Dearie, let’s be honest. My life sucked long before you seven came along.” I stated, smirking.

There was a short pause.  _ “I’m glad you followed me here, Spike. Raspberry, thank you for not giving up on me.” _

“Aww shucks.” I said, bashfully trying to cover my face with my ponytail.

_ “Me too.” _ Spike said. “ _ Unless, of course, we get stuck here for another thirty moons.” _

I took a step back, waiting for Twilight to open the curtain. Cookie was happily pawing at what she must think of as a weird new yarn ball. Twilight came out, Spike by her side, and her confidence had back. Well, there was more of it than when she ran in.

Applejack looked at us curiously. “You okay?”

“Hold on.” I held up a hand, giving Pinkie a look. “Pinks, hold onto your what’s.” The party planner saluted me, smiling wide. 

The princess braced herself. “The Fall Formal isn’t happening tonight.”

Pinkie nearly shouted, so I gave her the look to wait for it.

“It had to be postponed because Sunset Shimmer had Snips and Snails ruin all of Pinkie Pie’s decorations.” Twilight went on.

I gave Pinkie the look again. She was turning red.

“But the Fall Formal  _ has _ to happen tonight.” Twilight said firmly.

I swept my arm, telling Pinkie to go for it.

“ _ WHAT?!? _ ” Pinkie shouted, shaking Twilight and I in it’s intensity.

Twilight sighed. She fumbled with her hands, nervous. I smiled patiently at Pinkie, putting my hands in my hoodie pocket. “You see...”

“You’re both from alternate worlds and Twilight’s a pony princess from a Ponyland and Raspberry’s a regular princess named Morgan from a human land like our’s but without the colors and it’s this is all a TV movie, and the crown  _ actually _ has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements, and without it they don’t work anymore, and you need them all to help protect Twilight’s magical world, and if you don’t get the crown tonight, you’ll both be stuck in  _ this _ world and you won’t be able to get back for, like, a really, really long time!” Pinkie explained.

Twilight and Spike’s jaw dropped. I grinned, nearly bursting out into a laugh. Man, I loved Pinkie Pie.

The others were less amused. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that  _ isn’t _ the reason.” Rainbow said dryly.

“Nope, she’s pretty much spot-on.” Spike deadpanned.

“He can talk!?”

“Oh, yeah! And back where I come from, I’m not even a dog! I’m a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon!” Spike said, grinning suavely at Rarity.

Fluttershy shoved Rarity and Pinkie, rushing up to Spike. She  _ really _ loved animals, not that I ever doubted. “This is so amazing! Tell me, what are you thinking right now?” Her eyes inflated to anime levels.

The dragon turned dog stared back for a minute, then ran over to Rarity. “Sure would love a scratch behind the old ears!”

“Gah...” The fashionista gaped.

“Uh, maybe later.” Spike said.

Twilight turned to Pinkie. “How did you  _ know _ all that?” She asked. “Did Raspberry tell you?”

Pinkie winked. “Just a hunch.”

Twilight sent me a look. I held up my arms. “She found it out herself. Pinkie’s a lot smarter than people think.”

“Wait a minute! Lemme get this straight.” Applejack said, eyeing Twilight. “You’re a  _ pony _ ?”

“You’re  _ princesses _ ?”

“You’re from other worlds?”

“We’re on TV?” Rainbow asked me.

Twilight gulped, nodding.

“ _ Equestria Girls _ .” I named the movie. “It’s a good movie. Or at least I think so.”

Tense silence until Rainbow said “That...is... _ awesome _ !”

The girls crowded around us, firing dozens of questions Twilight and I couldn’t understand. I think Rarity asked at one point if she looked good on camera.

Spike and I smiled smugly at Twilight. 

==DMLC==

My eyes were twitching as I looked out onto the chaos that was now the gym. It was horrible; streamers lied torn on the ground, balloons had been popped, the disco ball was shattered, the tables were toppled, and the punch had been poured onto the floor.

“Twilight.” I whispered, fearfully.

“Yes Raspberry?”

“Make the bad mess go away.” I watched for my bag, holding it to try and steady myself. “It hurts my eyes.”

“I’ve been to your house.” Twilight reminded me. “And that place is usually a mess.”

“That is artistically organized.” I argued, gesturing to the gym with wild hands. “This is-This is-Oh, make it stop. Make it stop!” My hands covered my eyes, Weeping Angel style.

Rarity out a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know, darling. I simply cannot believe they did all this!”

“If I only had some kind of...  _ party cannon _ that could decorate everything super fast!” Pinkie said, frowning.

I had built up enough courage to look at the gym again. It was almost starting to give me a migraine. This may seem like an overreaction to the rest of you, but this was coming the child of two generations of neat freaks. This was from a mother of a Cutie Mark Crusader. This was from a woman who had worked so hard cleaning it the other day.

My body started walking to the supply closet, hoping to find enough brooms for everyone. There was a bunch of other cleaning material in here, enough hopefully for the gym.

“I know it seems impossible, but, maybe if we all work together?” Twilight tried. I grabbed some of the wooden brooms.

“Now  _ that’s _ the kinda can-do spirit I’m lookin’ for in a Fall Formal Princess!” Applejack held out her hand, “Let’s do it, y’all!”

“Absolutely!” Rarity cheered, putting her hand over Applejack’s.

“Rock on!” 

“Yes, indeedily!”

“Yaaay!” Fluttershy whispered. Applejack was tossed a broom, making her smile genuinely. I tossed Rarity a broom, which she let fall to the floor. The athlete caught her broom, giving it a spin. Pinkie happily took the offered broom, immediately beginning to sweep the floor. I handed Fluttershy’s broom to her, knowing she preferred it that way.

The last broom was given to Twilight. “Alright, ladies, here’s how it’s going down.” I began, feeling some of my five years as a princess go to my head. “You six with sweep the floors, while I clean up the tables and pick up any piles you sweep. Once the floors and tables are clean, we can get to work on the heavier stuff. Tables, other decorations, things like that. Let’s have this place spotless before we even think about the decorations. Savvy?”

“Yes ma’am!” Everyone immediately went off to sweeping. I went back to the supply closet, grabbing the table wipes and spray.

This place would be spotless, Story dammit, or my name wasn’t Morgan Spencer!

==DMLC==

It took maybe twenty minutes to clean the floor. The tables had been easier than I expected, but I attributed that to having a ten year old. As we cleaned, you could almost hear their voices echoing in the air. They were really good at this, which is perfect for the time table.

The six girls brushed their brooms together,creating that interlocking row of three brooms. I took a seventh broom, brushing down the middle into a trashcan. I tossed the bag to Applejack, who tossed it to Fluttershy, then to Rarity, then to Rainbow, and then to Pinkie who ended up taking it out.

==DMLC==

Twilight tried moving a heavy table across the gym, even though I said it was a better idea if Rainbow and Applejack moved the heavy stuff. Pinkie was getting the last of the grim from the ground before Fluttershy and I mopped it up. Rarity was getting more streamers and other party supplies from Pinkie’s car.

I almost stopped moping to help my friend, until I saw two high school students coming to her aid. Applejack went walking by a moment later, carrying a table by her lonesome.

==DMLC==

Pinkie swept the ground with her hair. I held a garbage bag behind her, ruffling her pink locks to let go of the trash. It all fell off with ease. The two of us high fived.

==DMLC==

“Okay everyone. Gym is clean.” I said, smiling wide. We had more than just the Mane Six, so I had more people to help. “Rarity, Fluttershy, you two are in charge of streamers. Pinkie, you got balloon duty. Rainbow, Applejack, nice job setting up the tables. You’ll be making sure they’re set up with snacks. Twilight, you grab extra chairs from that closet and spread them out.”

The six girls ran off the their assigned jobs, leaving only the new recruits behind. I pointed at a few of them, recognizing them from the montage. “Sorry I don’t know your names, but I’m gonna to have to ask you to set up the photo booth. The parts are all there, so I think it’s pretty straight forward.”

They nodded, going off. I pointed at the others from the montage. “See those lights on the stage? You’ll be setting them back up. The ladder is back stage to the left, please follow safety precautions. I do  not want anyone breaking their neck.”

They nodded, heading off.

“You’re kinda letting the power go to your head.” Spike commented.

I smirked at him. “I’m a control freak, get used to it.”

==DMLC==

More and more people kept coming to help set up, so I helped the ones that were lost find something to do. Twilight had come to help me with that once the chairs were set up, giving me less of a workload.

There was more streamers being hung, and the same for the balloons (though they had to get a helium tank since we didn’t have two Pinkie Pie’s), and Applejack had taken control of the food tables.

Flash’s band had come in a few short minutes ago, so I made Twilight grab a broom to sweep the stage. She hadn’t noticed the band until she bumped into Flash, making the couple blush.

Twilight gave me a small glare, and I just shrugged innocently. I had to make sure the photo booth was perfect for Photo Finish.

==DMLC==

The seven of us looked out onto our creation, beaming with pride. The students were socializing with each other, breaking out of their individual packs to make new friends.

“This...” Pinkie was nearly bursting. “Looks... soooo...GOOD!”

“Yes it is.” I smiled, standing with my hands confidently placed on my hips. Twilight lightly shoved me, almost making me bump into Applejack.

There was some slow clapping before I could retaliate. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were standing at the door, the younger sibling holding the box of votes.

“All right, everyone! Fall Formal is back on for this evening.” Celestia announced.

The crowd of students all cheered, loudly.

“So you’d better get out of here and start getting ready.” Celestia said.

The students all lined up to leave, Luna holding out the voting bin.

“Oh, and don’t forget to cast your ballots for the Fall Formal Princess on your way out!” Celestia reminded.

“You got my vote, Twilight.” A student said, walking by the stage.

More and more students agreed with him, with everyone voting Twilight when they walked by.

Twilight smiled at me.

==DMLC==

“I still can’t believe we pulled that off!” Fluttershy said once we made it back to the Boutique. Rarity ran into the back, nearly knocking me to the ground.

“ _ I _ can! We’re awesome!” Rainbow boasted.

Rarity came back, bringing a rack of dresses for us to try on. “Enough chatter, girls. We need to get ready, and we need to look  _ fabulous _ !” She threw some at us.

==DMLC==

“Stop peeking!” I yelled at my friends trying to get a look at my new dress. The curtain was closed even tighter, nearly stretching the material. “I’ll come out when I’m finished!”

A few of them groaned. I could hear Rainbow ask “Well, could you finish sooner?”

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie spoke up next. “Yeah, come on Raspberry.” “We just want to see it, darling.” “It’s so boring waiting!” “It can’t be that bad, Sugarcube.”

“I’d be finished faster if I didn’t have to keep kicking you five out of my dressing room.” I groaned.

We all laughed as I put the finishing touches on my outfit. The seven of us had been looking for hours on our outfits for the big dance tonight. The others and found theirs along with the matching jewelry and makeup an hour ago.

Twilight’s dress was hot pink with ruffles and a white belt/bow around her waist. Rarity’s was bright blue with a single shoulder strap. Applejack’s was navy blue with apples down onto the hem and a white handkerchief around her neck. Pinkie’s was bright pink with purple fabric draped over the skirt and a yellow bow/belt leading up to her electric blue top. Rainbow’s was rainbow colored on the top, a purple and gold belt separating it from the plain blue skirt with ruby red ruffles on the bottom. Fluttershy’s was mostly a butter yellow skirt with a sky blue top and drape connected by two butterfly pins.

Even Spike and Cookie were dressed up. The dog wearing a black top hat and suit, and the kitten wearing a lilac purple bow and dress.

Once Rarity realized I had yet to be dressed, she pulled out any dress she had availability to. I threw most of them back at her, telling her that not only were most of them not my size, they were not my color. The dressmaker had been horrified to hear that she had given me dresses so hopelessly wrong. Just another dress fitting around Rarity, to be honest.

She ended up finding one, handing it to me and saying it was perfect.

That was ten minutes ago. It had taken so long because Rarity kept peeking around the curtain to see if I liked it, then Fluttershy kept checking up on Cookie (who was resting comfortably in my bag, which made Pinkie want to join in. Soon, through some girly cliche I won’t ever understand, everyone tried to get a sneak preview of me in the dress.

I had stared at myself in the mirror, surprised. “Alright, just tell me what you think.” I warned, slowly walking out from the changing room.

My six friends were all there, wearing their dresses simply because the dance was in thirty minutes. Twilight and Applejack stood by each other, Pinkie was talking with Rainbow and Rarity. Fluttershy was the first to see me.

“Raspberry, you look lovely.” Fluttershy said, causing me to blush slightly.

The others looked up at me, all with various smiles.

It was a pale blue dress, contrasting with the dark pink of my skin. If I had to say, it was like Twilight’s dress only blue, no star symbol, no sparkles, and had a dark blue belt around the hips.

Rarity had done my hair before the dress, so I had long waves of midnight blue and sterling silver hair flowing past my shoulders. There were two earrings of my cutiemark in my ears. My necklace was Darcy’s lollipop charm on the thin silver chain.

I found my outfit.

Now I just had to find the right shoes. Damn you Rarity, getting me interested in fashion.

==DMLC==

Rarity had apparently pulled out all the stops, having a limo available to take us to the school.

The natives of this universe ran ahead into the building. I stood behind the doors, leaning against the doors. I had my bag, and Twilight’s saddlebag inside it. She had left it at Rarity the human’s, and I knew for a fact Rarity the unicorn had put a lot of work into the new alicorn’s bag.

Spike turned to me, confused. “Where’s Twilight?” He asked.

“Flash.” I answered with a devious smile.

Spike chuckled, going off to join the others. Cookie followed after him, though I had no idea why. Maybe she thought they were playing tag, or something.

I smirked. Twilight walked in, Flash happily chasing after her.

“Ah, young love.” I said, leaning against the door.

Bumblebee walked up beside me, adjusting his blue tie. I quirked a brow at that, seeing him a suit much like the one he wore on our first date. Did he only have the one suit? He leaned against the door, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His golden honey eyes were scanning my dress, along with the rest of me.

“You clean up nice.” I said, smiling teasingly.

He was still staring.

“Bumblebee.” My hand reached up, poking his arm. “You in there, buddy?”

The boy shook his head, trying to shake off whatever had happened to him. “Sorry. You look...you look really good in that dress.”

Damn bastard, now I would have to fight a blush. “You look good in a tux.” I said back. “Thanks for coming.”

Bumblebee squared his shoulders back, being nonchalant. “Well, I’m no good at staying away from trouble.”

“Oh, and you think I’m any better?” My date looped his arm around mine, following the trail of other students to get to the gym. “Trouble magnet, right here, especially on Tuesday’s.”

“Only Tuesdays?” Bumblebee scoffed. “I get the weekdays. Never a minute of peace and silence.” He joked, a heavy pout on his face.

I caught onto the joke, going along with it. “Just weekdays? On weekends, I get hit by all kinds of chaos.”

“Just chaos?” Bumblebee sighed, from the looks of it trying to fight a smile. “I have anarchy and mayhem.”

“Only  _ may _ hem? I get April-hem, and then June-hem. The whole calendar of -hems!” I said, unable to hide my laughter anymore. He was no better, laughing beside me so hard his shoulders started shaking.

We laughed until we reached the gym doors, opening them to see the band playing and students dancing.

“So what’s the mission?” Bumblebee asked, teasingly.

“We’re trying to make my friends Fall Formal Princess so she can get her crown back.” I explained, scanning the crowd for my friends. “It’s actually a super important thing back home, but we can’t just steal the crown back so we had to run for the Princess.”

“Obviously.” Bumblebee said with sarcasm. “Cause just asking for the heirloom back is too much.”

“We tried, but my friend backed out at the last second.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what to do with that girl.”

“You said the crown was stolen?” Bumblebee said, sounding suddenly serious.

“Be on the look-out for a girl with bacon colored hair.” I said, matching his tone. “She’s the sort of mob boss of the high school. I may have dethroned her earlier, but there’s no way of being sure. She’s stubborn, and desperate. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to steal the crown before Twilight-my friend-can put it on her head.”

My date nodded, scanning the crowd himself. “I don’t see her.”

“Me either. Which means she’s not here, but she’ll be here before the night ends.” I assured. “She’s bringing that danger I promised you.”

Bumblebee smirked. “Good, but while we wait.” He winked at me, motioning his head to the dance floor. “We have to play along, right?”

“You learn fast.” I smiled, following him out onto the dance floor.  _ ‘I hope Bee is this quick.’ _

==DMLC==

Twilight and I met up by the drink table. She was nervously glancing about the room, as if expecting Sunset to pop up randomly. As good as Sunset was at her job, no one could be as good at that as Pinkie Pie. I was getting drinks for my date and I (which was a weird sentence for me to say).

Bumblebee was out in the dance floor, keeping up the image of us being dates at a dance. While everyone else saw a guy in a tux dancing, I saw a boy scanning the crowd for a girl of bacon hair and her two lackies. I’ll admit, the guy was good at blending into a crowd.

The band was playing up on the school stage. Flash would occasionally exchanging eye contact with Twilight, making my friend blush and wave bashfully. I couldn’t wait for Vinyl to take over so they could get the dancing over with, seriously. Their music was good, but I could do better...oh, I was getting a bad idea.

“Raspberry, I know that look.” Twilight said from behind me.

“What look?” I said, my gaze not moving from the band on the stage. “I don’t have any look.” I sipped from my glass of fruit punch, holding onto Bumblebee’s.

“Yes. You do. You have hundreds.” My friend came up to my side, giving me a warning look. “ That’s your  _ ‘I’m about to do something completely ridiculous because I can’ _ look.” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t do it.”

“Don’t do what?” I asked, innocently.

“Whatever it is your thinking, please stop. We just have to wait for them to call out the winner of the Fall Formal Princess and then we can go back to Equestria.” Twilight explained. I gulped down the rest of my punch, holding onto the cup. “Just stay normal for that long.”

“Okay.” I told her, walking over to Bumblebee to give him some punch.

He had paused in his dancing when he saw me come over. I held out the punch, which he gratefully accepted and gulped it down. I was still smiling, my plan only getting more concrete the longer I thought about it.

He chuckled, giving me a smirk. “Someone’s got an idea.”

“A  _ horrible _ idea.” I said, glancing at the band. The music had paused, the band taking a short break between songs. “I’m gonna be on stage.”

Bumblebee quirked a brow, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked at the stage, then at me. “Do it.”

I giggled, happily clapping my hands around the cup still in my hand. Out of strange instinct, I leaned up enough to kiss his cheek. “Thank you!” I said. Bumblebee was surprised I had kissed his cheek, but I was too excited about having a partner in crime to go further.

I ran up to the stage, being careful not to attract Twilight’s gaze. My arm reached out for the bass guitarist, who helped me up. I walked over to Flash, who was behind the curtain drinking from a water bottle with his cutiemark on it.

“Flash Sentry.” I called out.

The guitar player turned to me, curious. “Raspberry Stardust?”

I nodded. “I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse.” I said with a mischievous grin.

==DMLC==

_ Twilight Sparkle _

Raspberry had been missing for three minutes and thirty eight seconds. In my experience with her, any disappearance more than two minutes and forty two seconds was bad. I just hope she hasn’t done anything-

“HELLOOOO! CANTERLOT HIGH!”

_ ‘Never mind.’ _ Looking towards the stage, I saw my friend standing on the stage. She talked her way into the band. Dear Celestia...

Raspberry waved. “My name is Raspberry Stardust, and I talked the band into trying a few songs.” She glanced towards Flash Sentry, who gave her a thumbs-up. He was now playing the guitar, leaving Raspberry on vocals. “Hope you enjoy this one. It’s called  _ ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’. _

The band began to play a strange beat. Some of the teenagers around me stared on.

That’s when music began playing, some strange beat that Raspberry started clapping along with. She turned her gaze to the boy she had brought-this world version of Bumblebee. The boy waved at her, adding a wink.

_ “I saw him dancing there by the record machine.” _ Raspberry sang, still clapping with the beats. Soon, everyone in the gym was clapping along. _ “I knew he must have been about seventeen.” _ Once Raspberry was sure everyone was clapping (except me), she stopped and grabbed the microphone. _ “The beat was going strong, playing my favorite song, and I could tell it wouldn’t be long till he was with me, yeah me.” _

The teenagers around me slowly started to dance. Even this world’s versions of my friends were enjoying the song, bobbing their heads while still clapping. Raspberry may not be a party pony, but she knew how to get people excited.

_ “And I could tell it wouldn’t be long till he was with me, yeah me.”  _ Raspberry stared directly at me, and pointing.  _ “Singing, I love rock and roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby. I love rock and roll, so come and take your time and dance with me. Ow!” _

She took the microphone off it’s stand and leaned out towards the crowd.  _ “He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name. But that don’t matter, he said, ‘cause it’s all the same. He said, ‘Can I take you home where we can be alone?’ And next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me. Next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me. _

She stood up straight, watching as a few other students started dancing with the music. She was still smiling encouragingly at me, as if waiting for me to cut loose and dance. I shook my head, making her shake her’s.

_ “Singing, I love rock and roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby. I love rock and roll, so come and take your time and dance with me. Ow!” _

From my point of view, everyone here was dancing. The music had inspired such change in them, that they were dancing with strangers that they didn’t know before tonight. Even my friends, they were dancing in ways I had never seen them dance before.

Raspberry sang the rest of the chorus. She motioned for Rainbow and Pinkie to pay attention, then pointed them my direction. I threw her a small glare, until Rainbow and Pinkie ran up by my side.

“Come on Twilight!” Rainbow said, bumping my side with her arm. “Just dance!”

“It’s a party!” Pinkie added. “You have to dance at a party!”

I paused another second, glancing at Raspberry for assurance. She held out a thumbs up at me.

So, I decided to just go for broke. Sunset wasn’t here yet, and it wasn’t likely that she would be here any time soon. I started dancing with the music, having a little fun.

_ “I love rock and roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baby. I love rock and roll, so come and take your time and dance with me!” _

It was definitely a fun party...but I still needed to get my crown back. 

==DMLC==

_ Raspberry/Morgan _

After another ten minutes of songs, I finished with the band. I grabbed my bag from backstage, then ran over to Bumblebee. I felt like Pinkie after she throws a party. That was so much fun!

Bumblebee gave me a high five once I was close enough, and I was still super cheery. “That was  _ epic _ .”

“I know!” I cheered, clapping my hands over my mouth to try and keep it all contained. “I didn’t want to stop! That was...that was awesome!”

It had been a long time since I performed with a band on stage. One time, at my college of S.H.I.T., I remember being so excited when the sprinklers went off I ended declaring a wet t-shirt party. Yeah, the stuff I do when I’m drunk.

But, I wasn’t drunk right now not even buzzed. I had been off the past few days; spontaneously buying a cat, flirting with a boy, declaring war on a childhood enemy, going up onstage, it was all so wild and crazy I wondered what was going on...this was all stuff Darcy might get me to do at a party.

I loved being Raspberry Stardust. She had way more fun than Morgan Spencer.

I grabbed Bumblebee’s hand, eager to get the movie going along. “Come on, we can still get in some dancing before they announce the winner.”

Bumblebee snickered as I guided him into the crowd. Random teens were congratulating me on my performance, I smiled and thanked them as we went.

“You mean when they say Twilight won by default?” Bumblebee pointed out with a smirk.

“Better by default then have Sunset stuff the ballot box.” I said to him. He tilted his head. “She knows I’m a threat, and that she lost a lot of votes to Twilight. It wouldn’t surprise me if she tried stuffing the box, but with her name off the ballot she has no virtual chance of winning.”

“You really think she’d do that?” Bumblebee asked, in full seriousness.

I shrugged. “I can’t take the chance she might.” She never stuffed the ballot box in the movie, or anything of the sort. I was just being petty because of what she put Twilight through. I wasn’t going to go telling Bumblebee that, though.

The teenager nodded, though I don’t know if he fully grasped the concept.

I met up with Twilight in the middle of the dance floor, seeing her dancing with Rainbow. She waved at Flash again. With an innocent smile, I tapped her shoulder.

She turned to me, smiling. “I said be normal.” Twilight laughed, shoving my arm.

I shoved her back. The music was good, so I danced along with it and soon Bumblebee followed. “That  _ was _ normal! For me, anyway.”

Twilight looked to our friends, suddenly worried. “Anybody see Sunset Shimmer?”

Rainbow smiled at her. “There’s no way she can win now! Vice Principal Luna had her removed from the ballet! Maybe she was too embarrassed to show!” She shouted over the music.

Twilight and I exchanged a look. “Maybe...”

The music faded off. Bumblebee and I looked to the stage, seeing Principal Celestia walk up to the centre.

I looked up Bumblebee. He had stopped looking at the stage, and instead was looking down at me. Principal Celestia began talking, but I was paying more attention to the human version of my coltfriend.

“Bumblebee?” I said. He was looking down at our arms, and I almost blushed when I realized I had wrapped mine around his. “Oh.”

“Don’t move it.” Bumblebee said, tightening his arm around mine.

I tilted my head at him. “I didn’t even realize I did that.”

“I like it.” Bumblebee said with a nervous smile. It was a rare sight with this one. The sight was so adorable I let out a small giggle.

I wasn’t lying, I hadn’t noticed myself locking arms with him. It just felt relaxing to have him close, which was a strange thought for me. The two of us had our eyes locked, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was off about his eyes. It wasn’t that he was the wrong Bumblebee, there was something else there. If I stared just right, there was a hint of green-

The crowd suddenly burst into cheers. It took me a second to remember that Twilight had just been announced Fall Formal Princess. I elbowed my friend, giving her a shove to the stage.

“Go get um, Sparkle of Twilight!” Twilight put down Spike, running up to the stage to get her crown.

I didn’t hear Bumblebee cheering, so I turned back to him. “Bumblebee?” I whispered.

“Does Sunset Shimmer have two lackies?”

I paused, following his gaze to see Snips and Snails sneaking around the gym. “Yep.”

“Two freshman?”

“I’m lookin’ at ‘um.” I deadpanned. “Snips and Snails. They’ll do anything Sunset tells them.”

“What are they doing?” Bumblebee asked.

I tried to get a better look, to see if they had Spike yet, but other students got in the way. Spike was supposed to end up in Twilight’s arms, so I turned to the princess. The purple and green dog was staring up at the stage. Looking down, I saw Cookie at my heel. She had been dancing with Fluttershy.

“They might be trying for one last go at the crown, when Twilight’s won it.” I said to Bumblebee.

He glanced back to the lackies. “Something doesn’t feel right. Should we stop them now?”

I shook my head. “Without probable cause, we’re just two juniors attacking freshman.”

“Senior.” Bumblebee corrected.

I looked at him in surprise, then a smirk. He winked at me. “Oh.”

There was a sudden shout, one that you only heard with difficulty (or used to have pony ears).

“Twilight! Help!”

Another shout followed right after, though it sounded more like a meow.

I felt my heart freeze in my chest as I looked down, not seeing Cookie at my feet. My head snapped over to the door, some of my hair flying over my face for a brief second. In Snails’ arms, was a little calico kitten. She was swiping at the boy, hissing. He shoved a hand over her muzzle, clamping her mouth shut. That didn’t stop her claws from hitting his hands, making the orange boy wince.

“They’ve got Spike!” Twilight shouted, leaping off the stage.

“They’ve got  _ Cookie _ !” I growled, shoving my way through the crowd after the boys.

_ No one _ touches Cookie!


	12. Chapter 12

Twilight and I chased after the boys, determined. There was a small bit of pride when one of them looked back and saw the look of absolute murder in my eyes. Snips ran a lot faster after that.

We couldn’t lose Cookie. She was going to be a part of the Stardust family. If anything happened to her, it would be my fault. Cookie was a small kitten, and Spike was a dragon. She wasn’t ready for stuff like this. This wasn’t what I wanted for her. Story, why was I so stupid as to leave her alone?!

While chasing the I felt a bit like a werewolf hunting down my prey, furious at the boys for touching what was a companion for my child. She was just a small kitten, and they put a hand over her muzzle?!

They thought they had made it home free when they met back up with Sunset. I stared the orange ex-unicorn down, absentmindedly noticing the natives followed behind Twilight and I.

Sunset smiled evilly at us, holding a sledgehammer above her head. “That’s close enough!”

The others stopped, but I took another step forward. Sunset raised the hammer a little higher.

“Do it. I  _ dare _ you.” I challenged.

“Twilight!” Spike called out before the boys clamped a hand over his muzzle. The same for Cookie when she meowed.

Okay, I will admit, I let out a growl akin to a wolf when they did that. The ex-unicorn didn’t flinch, but her lackies did.

“Don’t hurt him!” Twilight warned.

“Harm one hair on her head, and I’ll rip you to shreds!” I shouted.

Sunset stood in front of the statue with the hammer. She was still smiling like she had won. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m not a monster, Twilight.” She glanced back to the boys, but kept the hammer ready for smashing. “Let them go.”

The boys exchanged a look, then shrugged. The dog and cat were lowered to the ground, each running to their respective owner.

I hugged Cookie tightly to me when she jumped in my arms. My hand brushed down on her fur, adjusting her bow so it was back to perfect. In thanks, the kitten purred against me.

I don’t know what I would’ve done if this cat had been hurt because of me. She was a part of the Stardust home now, I couldn’t stand the idea of someone hurting her. Cookie had been a shelter pet, abandoned. 

“You don’t belong here.” Sunset said, reminding us of the bigger problem. “Give me the crown, and you can go back to Equestria tonight. Or keep it and  _ never _ go home.”

Twilight gasped. I held Cookie closer to my shoulder, trying to think of a way to run at Sunset to get her to drop the hammer.

Sunset was giving her attention to Twilight anyway, it would be easy to slip past and grab the hammer. “Tick-tock, Twilight. We haven’t got all night. The portal will be closing on its own in less than an hour.” The three of us looked up at the moon, seeing the three stars close together. “So, what’s your answer?”

Twilight lowered her crown, staring at it with shaky purple eyes. She turned to me, probably for assurance. I smiled, telling her I would stand by her no matter what decision she made.

The ex-alicorn took the courage to glare at Sunset. “ _ No _ .”

“What!?” The antagonist screeched. “Equestria! Your friends! Lost to you forever! Don’t you see what I’m about to do to the portal?!” She shouted.

Twilight and I stood on our feet, still holding our animals close to us.

“Yes, but I’ve also seen what you’ve been able to do here  _ without _ magic.” Twilight said, sounding more bad ass by the second.

“And we are not setting foot back in Equestria, until we have ended your hold on it.” I declared. “Cause no one should have to live in a world ruled by  _ you _ .”

“Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony.” Twilight said, not missing a beat. “This place might not, if we allow it to fall into  _ your _ hands.”

Spike leapt out from Twilight’s arms, glaring at Sunset. Cookie hissed in her general direction, but stayed with me.

“So go ahead. Destroy the portal. You are  _ not _ getting this crown!” Twilight finished by dropping the crown on her head, holding it down.

The ex-unicorn looked at us with her mint green eyes, trying to come up with a new plan. I glared at her with fiery amber eyes, challenging her.

“Fine. You win.” Sunset said, tossing the hammer at her lackies.

Rainbow came up to Twilight’s side. “You... are... so awesome!” She squeaked.

I laughed, until Applejack shoved my arm. “I can’t believe you were gonna do that for us!” Applejack said, tipping her hat to us.

“It’s no wonder you’re real live princesses!” Rarity added.

Bumblebee walked up next, looking a bit in shock.

“Oh. Right. Never explained that to you.” I realized with a blush. “Twilight’s a pony princess from Equestria. I’m a regular princess from a separate Earth, like this one except no one has the neon colors. The crown has magic stuff, so we need it back or else bad stuff will happen to Twilight’s world. Oh, and Spike’s a dragon.”

Bumblebee paused, glancing over at Twilight. My friend waved, embarrassed at the sudden attention. The yellow teenager turned back to me, starting to smirk.

“Okay.” He shrugged.

“Seriously, you’re totally alright with this?” I asked, surprised.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I think you have a more chaotic life than I do.”

I smiled, feeling like giggling. Would it be that easy explaining it to Bee? Why was I even thinking about that? I’d barely known either of these guys two weeks!

“Oh, yes, they’re so  _ very _ special!” Sunset snapped.

She leapt at us, knocking Twilight and her crown to the ground. I was able to kick the crown over to Spike.

Thus, began one of the most intense game of Hot Potato ever. Spike passed it to Rainbow, who passed it to Fluttershy, who dropped it and was picked up by Snips, it was grabbed by Pinkie, then Rarity, then Bumblebee, and then back to Twilight.

The alicorn tossed it back, and I was about to grab it when Sunset shoved me to the ground. I held Cookie tightly to my chest, hoping she wouldn’t get hurt.

Sunset laughed diabolically as shrouded the crown over her head. “I’ll take that!” She started laughing madly.

Bumblebee helped me to my feet, and I put a protective hand over Cookie. The kitten was shaking against me, burying her face in my shoulder.

“At last! More power than I could ever imagine!” Sunset dropped the crown on her head and I waited for it to glow sickly green.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

_ And waited. _

“Why isn’t this stupid crown working?!” Sunset yelled.

I’m an idiot.

“Twilight!” I yelled, reaching into my Infi-purse.

The purple human turned towards me. “What?”

“I’m an idiot.” I stated.

“Huh?” She and the other five girls asked. Sunset was busy trying to get the crown working.

I reached into my purse, trying to find the object I had placed here two days ago. It can’t have gotten that far. Ah! There it is!

“Found it!” With that, I pulled the object out of my purse.

The Element of Magic. “What?!” Twilight and Sunset yelled.

“Raspberry when did you get that!” Twilight yelled.

“If that’s the crown then what am I holding?” Sunset asked.

“It was very tricky, Sparkle of Twilight and Sunny. It all started about three months ago-”

“Raspberry!” Twilight snapped.

A snort fell out of my mouth, matched with my frown.  _ Picky, picky, picky _ . “I switched my fake crown for the real crown three days ago then hid it in my bag.” I sighed. “Take the fun out of everything, why don’t ya?”

“So you’ve had the crown this whole time?” Twilight asked angrily. I nodded. “And when were you planning on telling me this?”

“When you stopped hurting my feelings, and fixed the broken friendship caused by Sunny over there.” To make my point I pointed at the fire haired girl. “Friendship is magic, Sparkle of Twilight. Haven’t we been over that?”

“Stop calling me Sunny! And give me that crown!” Sunset yelled, charging at me.

“ _ N _ ope.” I side stepped, Bumblebee stepping with me. I smiled as Sunset looked like a raging bull. “This crown belongs to my friend. Hey Twilight, happy birthday!”

I tossed the crown over to her, only to have Snips leap up and grab it. “Oh, not this again.” I rolled my eyes. “Give it  **back** !”

Snips grinned darkly, only to remember he was surrounded by the Mane Six. He gulped, tossing the real crown to Sunset like it was a frisbee. Dang it, a perfectly good plan ruined by that little boy. Story, if this was the colt Snips he wouldn’t have recess for a month!

“Finally!” Sunset laughed, raising it to her head. “More power than I could ever imagine!”

She dropped the crown, and this time it worked. A sickly green haze of magic burst from the crown, covering Sunset in bright mint green rings. They covered her whole body, spinning her around like Dorothy in the tornado. The sky filled with dark purple and black clouds, hovering over the school.

Bumblebee reached for my hand, Cookie curled herself tighter into my arms. I squared my shoulders, looking to Sunset with determination. Just wait for her to be stopped by Twilight and the humans...just wait for her to be stopped by Twilight and the humans...

The other students walked out from the school, staring up at the green vortex with confusion and fear. I could make out Sunset’s face, cheeks caked in tears. All of that power in her head, it must’ve been painful. She was still spinning around, her body changing with the magic.

It faded in a white light. She looked like a demon crawled out of Hell, and didn’t have time for fix their clothes. Her skin turned ruby red, with deformed red bat wings and sharp talons. Her dress had changed to a more fiery one, yet still tattered. Her hair and tail were matching red and yellow locks, blown back to look like actual fire. She had fangs in her mouth, and her eyes didn’t have any white to them.

She had the Darkness inside of her now. Any anger that I had directed towards her in the past five minutes vanished in a pop. I knew what that was like, how could I have failed so spectacularly? Why didn’t I do more to stop this?

Bumblebee squeezed my hand.

It laughed, cruelly, looking over it’s new body. Our friends gasped, hiding away. Twilight, Spike, and I stood strong for the fight.

Sunset held her arms up high, them glowing with black and green light. The crown did as well, sending out two blasts to Snips and Snails. For some reason, the demons Pain and Panic came to mind while looking at them. 

Snails hissed at us. “This is gonna be so cool!” Snips said, staring at me with his red eyes.

The humans were frightened of the development, with the exception of Rainbow Dash and Bumblebee who took fighting stances. The latter having to let go of my hand doing so.

Twilight and I glared hatefully at the now demon. Our attentions were taken away when students began screaming, trying to run from the school. 

The demon flew closer to them, Twilight’s crown glowing on it’s head. “I’ve had to jump through  _ so _ many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown, and it really should have been mine all along.” The demon said to it’s classmates. Snips and Snails flew over us, flying to stand behind her.

I growled, taking a step forward. Twilight grabbed my wrist, holding me back. That crown belonged to Twilight, not that thing!

“But let’s let bygones be bygones.” The demon said in a sickeningly sweet voice. “ _ I _ am your princess now, and you will be loyal to  _ me _ !”

It’s hand glowed with that mint green light, as well as the entrance to the school. I watched in terror as it curled it’s fist, destroying the front and tossing it aside like it weighed nothing. It unleashed a spell on the students, trapping them all under it’s power.

My mind starting thinking of counter spells to restore the wall, and keep the students safe. My magic was as weak as Twilight’s here, and I left the Reality Watch at the Centre. That thing was so in for it in a couple minutes!

I was suddenly reminded that I was standing with Twilight before she and the others became the Elements of Harmony again. There was now a bit of hesitation on my part. Could I even be a part of the Elements of Harmony? Was it possible for someone to just, walk in and be a part of it?

Twilight leaned over to me. “Raspberry, please tell me that we can fix this.”

I eyed the crowd, glancing at the demon. “Sparkle of Twilight, you can  definitely fix this.”

She turned to me, just as I took a step back. “I can? Raspberry, aren’t you going to help?”

“I don’t want to mess it up.” I admitted, making Twilight and Spike frown. “It has to just be you six, I’m not even sure it would work with me there. I can’t be reckless this time, I can’t risk it not working.” I turned away, walking towards Bumblebee.

Twilight reached back, holding my hand. She pulled me back, making sure I was looking at her. She was looking at me with pleading purple eyes. “Raspberry Stardust, I trust you.”

_ ‘And just like that, my heart melted.’ _ My eyes watered slightly, so I quickly pulled my hand from Twilight’s grasp to wipe them away. She wanted my help, actually wanted it...Twilight believed I could do it. Twilight Sparkle believed in me.

Spike and Cookie were placed on the ground, for their safety. The kitten tried to follow me, so I gave her a small smile. 

The demon turned to it’s lackeys. “Round them up and bring them to the portal.” 

It flew to the entrance, where Twilight and I were now standing ready to fight. It smiled smugly. “Spoiler alert. I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal.”

“We know.” I shouted at it, feeling more confident in my place than before. The demon hissed at me. “And we stand by what we said. We’re not going back to Equestria until we’ve rid this world of you!”

It scoffed. “I don’t want to rule this  _ pathetic _ little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I am going to get it!”

In the crowd, I could see Flash. A small squeak from my right told me Twilight saw him too.

“No, you’re not!” Twilight said with determination.

“Oh, please!” It scoffed. “What exactly do you think you’re going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have  _ nothing _ !”

It’s hair burst into flames. The Element of Magic was glowing with so much more of the dark magic Sunset had filled it with.

“They have  _ us _ !” Rainbow shouted.

The five of them formed a line on opposite sides of Twilight and I.  _ ‘Merciful Storyline please let this work.’ _

“Gee, the gang really  _ is _ all back together again.” It wiped away a fake tear, claws glowing brighter with magic. It’s eyes changed to full mint green as it prepared what could be the final attack. “Now step aside! Twilight and Raspberry have tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! They need to be dealt with!”

I reached over with a free hand to grab Twilight’s. She gripped mine back tightly for assurance. The demon threw a fireball at us.

My body jumped in to block Twilight’s..

==DMLC==

There was nothing but pink surrounding us. I felt it over my skin like a warm blanket, holding me tight yet loose enough not to choke me. The demon was laughing after it’s supposed victory. It’s jaw dropped in shock at seeing the seven of us alive.

It took us all a moment to realize none of us were dead. I had my hands joined with Applejack’s and Pinkie’s, holding tightly to help protect Twilight. The alicorn in the centre stood taller, taking notice of her friends. She smiled warmly at me. It felt like I had been hit by Cadence’s love spell. I squeezed Applejack and Pinkie’s hands tighter, smiling back at Twilight proudly.

Twilight suddenly smiled, it all clicking together in her head. She turned to Sunset, still in the centre or our little ring.

“The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it!” Twilight shouted in explanation.

The demon gasped at the crown burst in pink light, joining with our group.

There was more whiteness. I was connected to my body, but there was a disconnection like just before you fall asleep.

Twilight was still talking to Sunset, but the power of harmony running through me 

Once it faded, I looked around at my friends. They looked the same as before, only with ponies ears, pony tails, and (for Fluttershy, Rainbow, myself, and Twilight) wings. We were all floating up into the sky, all glaring down below at the approaching Sunset Shimmer.

“Together with the crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don’t have the ability to control! The crown may be upon your head, Sunset, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all. The Magic of Friendship!” Twilight said proudly.

“No!” It screamed. “But, Raspberry Stardust isn’t an Element of Harmony!”

“She’s our  _ friend _ .” Twilight said simply. “Here,  _ and _ in Equestria, it’s the only magic that can truly unite us all.”

There was a bright white flash. The seven of us flew higher into the air, forming into the outline of a heart. A rainbow beam (with a streak of dark pink) went down into the ground, encircling the demon possessing Sunset Shimmer.

As I came back from the all whiteness, I noticed a giant crater where the villain once stood. Getting to my feet was slightly shaky, but I managed. The wings were still on my back, proudly displayed like an alicorn’s would be. Glancing back to the statue group, I noticed Bumblebee hiding with the animals behind it. The three of them were walking back into the courtyard, unsure of it’s safety.

I walked up to my prone alicorn friend, helping her to her feet. Spike joined me, licking Twilight’s cheek to wake her up. Her purple eyes blinked open, bringing Spike in for a hug.

Cookie ran up to my boot, clinging her claws into it. I giggled at how adorable she looked, bringing her up into my arms.

My friend was on her feet, smiling at me, then pulled me down into the hug. I hesitated at first, then hugged the two of them back. We had done it. I had been a part of the Elements of Harmony and didn’t screw it up!

Bumblebee and I locked eyes. I smiled slyly at him adding a wink. Ending my hug with Twilight, I noticed a figure trying to climb out of the crater. Twilight noticed it too, watching the figure with wary eyes. I held my hand up to Twilight, shaking my head. This was something  _ I _ needed to do. She glanced at Sunset again, then squared her shoulders. She nodded at me in affirmation.

Without further delay, I walked up to the poor girl. “You will  _ never _ rule in Equestria. Any power you may have had in this world is gone.” I explained in a cool and slightly forceful voice. Cookie squinted at the orange girl. If she were a human, she might’ve even stuck out her tongue.

Sunset Shimmer, the real her, had a growing puddle of tears forming beneath her head. She sniffled. Twilight stood by my side, looking down at Sunset with sympathy.

“Tonight, you’ve shown everyone who you really are.” I glanced over to the crowd of free students, walking out into the courtyard to look at the devastation. I didn’t completely balem Sunset for what she had done, why should I? She was just going mad with power. The seven of us had helped her before she could go completely over the edge. “You’ve shown them what was in your heart.”

“I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Sunset whimpered, wiping her tears away with her balled up hands. Cookie hopped out of my arms, scampering over to stand by Spike. “I didn’t know there was another way.”

“The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria. It’s everywhere.” Twilight explained to her, light in her voice. It reminded me of when she first learned of the powers of friendship, back at the Royal Pony Sisters Castle. “You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.”

Sunset cried, bordered on sobbing. She clung to the edge of the crater, like it was her only lifeline. “But... But all I’ve ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don’t know the first thing about friendship.” She whimpered, looking down at the ground as she cried.

Carefully, I held her hand. Helping her out of the crater, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. I gestured to my ponified friends. “I bet they could teach you.” I offered. “They taught me.”

Sunset’s lips quivered, tears still leaving trails on her orange cheeks. She looked to the five girls, with only dislike on Rarity’s face.

“Those are my girls! Woo-hoo!” Spike cheered, clapping her paws.

Cookie tried, only to end up falling to her side. Her tail came into her eyesight, so she started chewing on it.  _ Aww. That’s adorable. _

“Did that dog just talk? Whoa. Weird.” A student remarked.

Spike gave him a look. “ _ Seriously _ ? The talking dog is the weird thing about all this?”

“I, for one, think you’re adorable.” Rarity said, bringing him up into his arms. She scratched behind his ears too.

The dog sighed. “Oh, yeah.”

I smiled at the scene, seeing Bumblebee walk up to the front of the group. His expression was unreadable, or maybe I just didn’t like what I was seeing. My wings drooped, a little worried he wouldn’t like the wings. If he didn’t, what was the chance Bee would like my human form when the situation was reversed?

Again, I found myself wondering why I cared so much about a guy I’d only been on two dates with.

“I believe this belongs to you.” Principal Celestia said. Turning away from Bumblebee, I saw the rainbow haired principal place the crown on Twilight’s crown. “‘ _ A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her. _ We have all seen that you are capable of just that.” She placed her hand under Twilight’s chin, lifting it up so Twilight was looking her in the eyes. “I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight.”

My friend nodded. “I do.”

I gasped, attracting Twilight’s attention. “Twi, I’m an idiot!”

She laughed. “Didn’t we already establish that?”

“Not hard enough!” Reaching for my bag (still around my shoulder), I began searching for my crown. I know it’s in here somewhere...could be next to one of Cookie’s toys. “Found it.”

“Please tell me I’m not wearing another duplicate crown.” Twilight joked.

“Nope.” I cheered, pulling my crown out of the bag. “I was forgetting about mine.”

The crown was similar to the one on my cutiemark. It looked silver, but closer looks would reveal it was platinum. The jewels varied, from sapphires to diamonds to rubies. It was shaped in a crescent setting, with intricate designs instead of firm sides. It was more of a tiara than a crown, but I liked the sound of  _ crown _ .

Placing the crown on my head didn’t have any of the magical effects like with Twilight’s. The crowd flinched away, as if expecting me to turn into a fiery demon like Sunset had. I smiled dopily at Twilight, who rolled her eyes and shoved my arm.

“What?” I asked innocently. “I wanted to look  _ fashionable _ for the  _ dance _ .” The emphasized words came out sarcastic, a fake snooty tone included with raising my nose in the air.

Someone tapped my shoulder. Twilight turned back, so I guess Flash was asking for his dance.

Bumblebee grinned at me, that Aladdin grin when he was talking about Jasmine. He put his hands in his pockets, leaving the thumbs out. “Our dance got cut off.”

“Tends to happen when demons show up.” I said, my tone teasing.

My date laughed. “Good point.” He held out his arm. “Have some time for one more dance?”

I smiled flirtatiously. My arm wrapped back around his. “Sure, yeah. I can squeeze you in.” I immediately blushed at the  _ many _ ways that could be misinterpreted. “Uh. I mean, I can dance. Yeah, totally can dance with you.”

The human version of my coltfriend chuckled. 

==DMLC==

Around ten minutes before we left, after that photo had been taken, I started making final rounds.

Flying up to Rainbow Dash I pulled out a mini purse. She looked up at me and waved.

“Hey Raspberry.” She greeted, not pausing in her flying.

“Hey Rainbow, I have something for you.“ Handing her the small rainbow colored purse got her to a look at me in confusion.

“What’s this?” The athlete asked.

“A purse, also a thank you present. Inside is a collection of Daring-Do books, a series of books other you liked reading.”

Rainbow open the mini purse and pulled out the first Daring Do. “Huh, thanks Raspberry.”

“No problem.”

==DMLC==

Skipping towards Applejack I pulled out a jar with three Apple stickers and rainbow jelly inside.

“Applejack.” I greeted.

“Hiya Raspberry, whatcha got there?”

“It’s my gift to you. In my universe I convinced Granny Smith gave me seeds to Zap Apple Trees along with some jam. The instructions are taped to the top. It’s a thank you for all your help.”

The orange skinned girl took the jar smiling at me. “Well, thank ya kindly Raspberry.”

==DMLC==

Rarity was dancing with the dog Spike both looked happy. Pulling out the folded up dress. It was like the one from the Gala, but for a human and with a little Rarity flare to it. I tapped the purple haired girl in the shoulder

“I got a friend to make this for you.” I said quickly.

As I walked away I heard a girlish squeal.

==DMLC==

Fluttershy wasn’t really doing much just being her usual shy self.

“Hey Fluttershy.” I said, reaching carefully into my purse.

“Raspberry, how was the dance?” Fluttershy asked.

“Great. Right now I’m just giving ‘thank you’ gifts for you guy’s help.” I pulled out a small pink backpack.

“Oh...um...Thank you, Raspberry.” Fluttershy said, her voice unsure.

I laughed. “It’s called a PetPack. You can place your pets inside it along with your school books so they aren’t crammed together. It also has a little pocket for treats.” I handed it to the butter yellow girl. “I noticed how you carry around pets in your backpack. I thought they would kinda like this more.”

Fluttershy smiled as she took the bag. She gave me a hug. “Thanks Raspberry.”

I chuckled, joining in on the hug. “No prob, Shy, no prob.”

==DMLC==

Pinkie was partying. This is no surprise. It took a little convincing to get her away from a large crowd.

“So Raspberry what are we gonna do? Are you going to-” Pinkie started before I lifted my hand to her mouth and covered it.

“No.” I immediately stopped the long speech. “I just wanted to give you something.” Reaching into the purse, I continued talking with the pink skinned girl. “You remember when Snips and Snails ruined the dance?”

“How could I forget? It gave us this amazing party!” Pinkie smiled.

“You said  _ ‘If only I had some kind of party cannon’ _ remember?”

Pinkie concentrated for a moment, rubbing her hand in her chin. Her face lit up. “I did say that!” Pinkie cheered. Giggling, I pulled out my gift.

“Well, here ya go.”

Pinkie grabbed the piece of rolled up blue paper in my hand. I has asked Pony Pinkie Pie to let me borrow her party cannon design, so I could make a copy of it for Human Pinkie Pie.

“This isn’t a cannon.” Pinkie said, confused.

“Well  _ duh _ ! If I just handed you a party cannon it might break and you wouldn’t know how to fix it! These blueprints will let you do just that.” I smiled.

Pinkie gasped, holding up the blueprints to their full glory. Seeing them in a new light. “Thanks Morgan!” Pinkie said before wrapping her arms around me.

I laughed, hugging back, barely taking notice how she used my real name. Probably just another hunch.

==DMLC==

This gift I would feel most proud in giving. It could very well change the receiver’s life, plus it would just be plain nice.

Before me, was a girl with golden skin. She wore a now cut up leather jacket, her flame colored hair was a wreck, the rest of her outfit was covered in dirt and tears. Her normally hateful green eyes were now full of constantly flowing tears. It made me feel a little sorry for her.

Sunset Shimmer.

“Sunset.” I called out.

The girl turned towards me. She still looked sad, but she tried sucking it up to save face. “What do you want Raspberry?”

“First, call me Morgue. I  _ hate _ Raspberry. Second, I come bearing gifts.” I smiled.

“Gifts?” Sunset asked, doubtfully.

“Gifts!” I reached into the dark brown satchel, trying to find the gifts. “This took awhile to get Sunny. It took a lot of trees, ink and fire, but I finally made you...”

I revealed the transdimensional journal to the fire-head.

In my other hand I held a pen. There was nothing special about it, just a kinda of raspberry coloring with black ink on the inside. I think I got it from my mom’s desk.

“A journal?” Sunset asked, now confused.

“Not just a journal,” I lifted up the pen. “It’s got a pen too.”

Sunset’s face changed from confusion to ‘ _ What the fuck?’ _ . The leftover tears were almost gone, a few strays falling onto her jacket or the concrete flooring. She exchanged glances from the journal, pen and me as though silently trying to figure it out.

I went into hysterics, going in a full body laugh.

“Haha! I had you going there! Hahaha! Didn’t I? You should’ve seen your face! It was hilarious!” I laughed. Sunset gave a smirk to, shrugging. “You’re awesome!”

“Yeah, it was kind of funny.” She said, giving small smile. “So what are you really giving me? Not that I want to sound greedy, just wondering.”

“A journal and a pen.” I said, still shaking out some of the laughs.

“Wait, you were serious?”

“Yep! This journal is enchanted. The paper is now laced with a spell that when it touches fire it goes straight to Lilac (my dragon), like a cross-dimensional e-mail system. The covers are made to self-replicate so you never run out of paper. I can also send you letters by them appearing inside the journal, except where these pages are white, mine will be light yellow.

“You see, when Twilight moved to Ponyville after gaining the Element of Harmony, Princess Celestia assigned her a task of writing Friendship Reports (because Twilight is an egghead til the end).” This made Sunset smile. “So, when you said you didn’t know the first thing about Friendship, I thought I would make this for you. It doesn’t always have to be a friendship report, it could also be a ‘ _ Hey how are you?’ _ .

“But, yeah, it’s a journal.”

Sunset walked up to me, lightly taking the pen from my hand. “And the pen?”

“Just a pen I found lying about.” I shrugged. “I have, like, twenty of the exact same pen back home and stashed away in Equestria for pen emergency. You’d be surprised how often that happens.”

Sunset looked down at the journal, smiling with fondness. “You know, Princess Celestia made a journal like that for me.” She said, a hint of shame in her words. “I brought it with me, it’s probably in my locker.”

My smile dropped. “Celestia has a journal that can transmit writing to other dimensions, and she didn’t tell me?” I scoffed. “I told her about this and she just  _ smiled _ ! That knowing smile she has when she’s got a plan in the works. Reminds me of myself, which must be why I’m so annoyed right now.” I even stomped my foot, my wings ruffling.

_ ‘What really annoys me is that I can  _ tell _ that journal will be used in the future, maybe even the second movie. I probably went through all this work for nothing! Why do I have all my best ideas stolen by a corporation I’ve never met?’ _

I scoffed, having another realization.  _ ‘Merciful Storyline, what if someone finally writes an episode with us as Comic Book heroes! I’m paying to see that!’ _

The girl laughed. It was nice to see her happier now. “So, why are you doing this? Are you trying to pull something Rasp- _ Morgue _ ?”

I stared at her for a moment, processing that she just asked if I was pulling a prank on her. “No. I hate pulling emotional pranks. I do mature pranks, like taping a sign that says ‘ _ Voice Activated _ ’ on toasters and hand dryers, invisible ink, dye packs and smearing people’s face with whipped cream.”

“That’s so mature.”

“In my Home, those are the Mature pranks. So is taking the guy’s bed and sending it into a lake. They wake up somewhere in the middle of it. It’s funny.” I giggled, remembering when I pulled that prank on Darcy. “I know what it feels like to be made fun of on an emotional level, it scarred me for life. I still have trouble keeping my emotions together when I think about it.”

Without thinking, I hugged Sunset Shimmer. I continued talking to her. “Anyone can make friends Sunset, even a freak like me.” Pushing the girl back, I looked her in the eyes. “And believe it or not, I went through what you went through. Demon monster thing in your head, kinda ruins your life. If not for those six...I doubt I’d be standing in front of you.”

Sunset seemed a bit surprised at the revelation. “Really?”

I nodded. “Give them a chance. Once you let the Mane Six into your head, it’s impossible to get them out.” I waved at her, walking off back to the dance. “I would stay and help, but I left Cookie with Pinkie and things are gonna go so wrong so fast. I’ll talk to you later!”

After some hesitance, Sunset waved back.

==DMLC==

Bumblebee met me by the portal. It was five minutes before the portal closed, so I had time for him and then the others.

“Do you have to go?” Bumblebee asked, sadness in his gold eyes.

I took a calming breath, reaching my hand out to his. He took it, and it was at that moment I felt it shaking. “There’s someone on the other side that needs me, I can’t leave her behind. Not again.”

Bumblebee frowned in acceptance, reaching up to scratch at his neck. “Uh. How long until you can come back?”

“Two and a half years.” I answered. Bumblebee was hurt by the news, but hid it well. The conversation was feeling awkward. “But, I have a feeling I’ll be back sooner than that.”

Ah, and there was that spark of hope I loved...seeing in people. It wasn’t a thing I loved about Bee. Not that there  _ aren’t _ things I love! I’m going to stop talking now.

“But, yeah. This was fun. Really fun.” I fumbled on my words. “Enjoyed it, really-”

“Have you now?” Bumblebee grinned.

“But this world has it’s own Raspberry Stardust.” I said, holding Bumblebee’s hand. “Go find her. Who knows? Maybe she’ll find you.”

Bumblebee smirked, though it was held back. “You think just anyone can find me?”

“That’s how the other you met me.” I said, without realizing. “Uh. Yeah. He...you know, I’ll just let you do it.”

“There’s a version of me in your world?” Bumblebee asked. “And, and he looked like me?”

“Yeah, a lot.” I said, my cheeks heating up. “Except, ya know, he’s a pegasus.”

“And the other, other me looked like  _ this _ ?” Bumblebee gestured to himself.

His questions were starting to worry me. “Why wouldn’t he?” I asked warily.

“Cause of my contacts.” My date answered, confused.

“Contacts?” I asked. Bumblebee reached up to his eye. I turned away. People have been gutted in front of me, but seeing someone take plastic off their eye was still disgusting. Looking back, I saw an eye of bright neon blue. “Contacts...”

“Yeah.” Bumblebee said, pulling a contact case out from his pocket. He put the first one away, keeping his head down as he pulled out the second. “I was kinda on the run when you met me, had to wear this disguise thing. You caught me, so I had to keep it on longer than I thought.”

The teenager was flustered at the rush of information. “I wasn’t gonna say all of that. Any of that.”

It made me laugh. “You’re good. I’m wearing a disguise too.” I admitted. Bumblebee tilted his head, arching his brow. “On my Earth, I have pale skin covered in freckles, and my hair is black.” My hand tapped on some of my feathers. “And I don’t have these.”

My date laughed. I got a glimpse of the girls coming out from the gym over his shoulder. With small relief, I saw Twilight holding her’s. His laughter faded when he noticed my line of sight, and he looked at me with seriousness. “So, I guess you’re going home now.”

“It’s just the way it is.” I answered, my hands fidgeting on my bag strap. “I have a life on the other side of that portal. I can’t abandon it.”

There was just this moment of intense eye contact between us. He had such bright eyes. I loved the blue more than the gold, it was official. Now I just had to get  _ my _ Bee to take off his.

This could explain all of the secrecy. Fake name, fake eyes, new home. He was running away! He ran away from home, and was worried someone would find him. That’s why he hesitated on the fake name, he was creating it as we talked!

Again, now I had tell of this to my Bee without freaking him out.

Cookie ran up to me, leaping up to my chest. The surprise nearly caused my crown to fall from my head. I laughed as she purred, rubbing her head against my chest. Bumblebee laughed too, scratching at his neck. Pinkie dragged me into the group hug. I winced at the sudden contact, then hugged some of them back. The others were all giggling, holding tightly to Twilight and myself. 

Off in the distance, Sunset was hiding behind the rubble of the entrance. I frowned, holding Cookie tighter to my chest.

Twilight noticed the ex-unicorn. “You’ll look out for her, won’t you?” She asked the humans.

“Of  course we will.” Rarity assured with a wave of her hand. “Although I do expect some sort of apology for last spring’s debacle.”

“I have a feeling she’ll be handing out a  _ lot _ of apologies.” Twilight said. Sunset looked away from us in shame, but I gave her a warm smile. She gave a shaky one back. Vice Principal Luna came up behind Sunset, handing the ex-unicorn a trovel. Snips and Snails came up behind her with a wheelbarrow full of bricks.

I looked up at the sky, elbowing Twilight. “We’ve got less than a minute.” I reminded her.

Twilight looked back to the others, eyes watering. “I know we’ve only been friends for a short time, but I’m gonna miss all of you so much.” She sighed.

They all turned to me. I squared my shoulders, gently lowering Cookie to the ground. The kitten excitedly tried clawing at her bow. “I’m not good at saying  _ goodbye _ . So...until we meet again.” They smiled. I gave a look to Bumblebee, one last smile to hold him over.

With that, Twilight and I turned around towards the portal. Spike and Cookie walked alongside us.

“That crown really does suit you,  _ Princess _ Twilight.” Spike teased.

Twilight “You know what, Spike? I  _ am _ starting to feel a little more comfortable wearing it.”

“And the wings?” I asked.

“I’ve been walking on two legs and picking things up with  _ these _ !” She waved her hands in my face. I laughed at the bizarre move. “At least in your world I had magic too! Wings? I’m  _ thrilled _ that’s all I’ll be dealing with back in Equestria!”

“Why did you say that?” I groaned, facepalming. “If we walk through the portal, and everything is on fire, I will blame this conversation.”

Twilight and Spike laughed.

==DMLC==

Stepping onto the crystal floors, I looked back to find my saddlebag clipped to my sides under my wings. Twilight fell to her hooves from standing on her hindlegs. I gave a small chuckle.

The ponies gathered around us. The girls all gave excited shouts at having us back, bombarding us with question after question. With a hint of joy, I noticed Lilac hiding in the back.

“Lilac!” I cheered, rushing over to my daughter. She stood impassively by the wall. I wrapped my hooves around her, her claws slowly hugging me back. “Merciful Storyline, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

She didn’t say anything, just kept me in a complacent hug.

“Sunset Shimmer, is she alright?” Celestia asked, worriedly.

“I would say so, we left her in good hands.” Twilight said, winking at me.

“Hands?” Rainbow Dash said questioningly.

Two more creatures came from the mirror. One, a purple and green dragon with green slitted eyes. The other was smaller. She had a mostly brown body, her front claws were like eagle talons. Her face was snow white with hints of sky blue at the edges, some was around her forest green eyes to look like eyeliner.

She was a griffon.

“Uh...” I stammered.

The little griffon lifted her head up, her eyes searching for something. She stopped when she saw me. “Cookie?” I asked her, hesitant.

“Mom, who’s that?” Lilac asked, sounding hurt.

“Cookie.” I answered, still confused. “She was gonna be a gift to you, cause I didn’t let you come with me.”

The griffon’s head turned, her green eyes looking at us all again. Her eyes landed on me again and nodded.

“Cookie, is that you?” I asked again.

“Mama...? Wha-How-I can talk? I can talk!?” The griffon lifted up her claws. “What happened to my paws?!” She looked back and noticed her wings. “What happened to me?!”

I glanced at all my friends and co-rulers. “This  _ might _ be my fault.”

“Where am I?” The apparent Cookie asked everyone.

I gently placed a hoof on the confused griffon’s feathered face. “Cookie, Cookie I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath please.”

The little cub/chick/whatever-griffon-young-are-called looked at me with fear. “Trust me Cookie, everything is fine. You’re gonna be safe. You’re okay.” I tried.

The griffon wasn’t having it. “I wanna go home!” She cried.

This was gonna be a fun...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunger Games spoilers

"And that’s why you now have a griffin now?”

“That’s why I have a griffon now.”

It had been three days since the Princess Summit (completely boring after the Mirror fiasco). Three days of helping Cookie adjust, which was a lot simpler than I had thought. She said it was all easy, like she wondered why she hadn’t been able to do it before.

The wings had been the most confusing bit for her. I don’t think I ever forget when she thought there was a bird on her back, and Cookie tried to hunt it, only to be [u] painfully [/u] reminded that those wings were her’s.

Lilac had been the real one having trouble adjusting. Whether it was a new sister, or being left behind for the adventure, I have no idea.

Bee had come by a few hours after we came back. Lilac immediately went up to her room, closing the door to me. She must be angrier than I thought. Cookie was excitedly using her wings, flung all about the house. Thankfully I didn’t have important cases and stuff, or that would’ve been a problem. 

I would have to remodel the Hut back Home. No way were we gonna fit a griffin in there without changes.

Anyway, Bee came in to find me at my dining room table, working on sketches for the new Hut. Apparently he had let himself in, catching Cookie had a cat nap, which led to me explaining all that had happened.

Once it was over, Bee seemed to be wrapping his head around it. “Wow. You went into another world, and changed your biology.”

I smiled.  _ [i]‘Wasn’t the first time, and won’t be the last.’ _ [/i] “It was fun.”

Bee smirked, then chuckled. “Did you really help use the Elements Of Harmony?”

“Still confused on that part, but yeah.” I nodded, continuing to add edits to the Hut. Maybe I could use the Reality Watch on this one...

That was when I heard drop a book on my table. Looking up, I only saw a familiar title on the spine.

“Oh please don’t tell me my coltfriend actually [i] _ likes _ [/i] ‘[i] _ The Pony Games _ [/i]’?” I groaned.

Bumblebee looked up at me, hooves resting on the sides of the book so he wouldn’t lose his place. “What?”

“Those books suck.” I sighed. I had such high hopes…

“Hey.” Bumblebee whined. “These books are awesome!” 

“I’ll admit, the writing is good and the author brings them to life.” I said. “But the concept itself sucks. The whole book series is about children killing each other for the government’s entertainment!” I argued.

“It’s about ponies showing they care about each other, and how Katnip is willing to give up her life to keep her family safe!” Bumblebee strongly argued.

“One of the major plot points is a twelve year old [i] _ dying _ [/i]!” I argued. “And her entire family dying with her because they had a riot!”

“Hey! That moment was a huge turning point in the book!” Bumblebee said, pointing a hoof at me. “It showed that ponies were finally standing up to the government and President Snow.”

“Have you read the last book?” I asked. “My next point kinda means you need to read it.”

He held up the book he was reading. It was Mockingjay. He was half way through it.

“I might know your next point.” Bee commented.

“Okay. Another important point is when Katnip gives herself up for her sister, Primrose, so that Prim doesn’t die.” I looked at the yellow pegasus condescendingly. “And you know what happened?”

“Yes, I know wha-”

“Prim died anyway!” I yelled.

Bee sighed, wiping at his golden eyes. “Yeah. I know. It was so sad.”

I scoffed. “See! It’s a crappy book.”

Bumblebee froze, looking up at me with a victorious smirk. “Oh really?”

“Yes! I don’t even know why ponies read it.”

“Then how come you know so much about it?” Bumblebee asked.

Crap.

I couldn’t tell him I heard it from my mom. She was dead in Equestria. I couldn’t tell him I saw the movie. They didn’t exist yet here. This sucks.

“Uhh...let’s just say I have a friend who is a really big fan.” I excused.

Bumblebee nodded, smirking victoriously. “You said [i] _ the writing was good _ [/i]. You read the books.”

“Nope.” I shook my head.

“You read the books.”

“I don’t read books where kids are killed for fun.” I said in my ‘the argument is over’ voice.

It reminded me too much of when I was Morgana for fifty years. It was all a game to her, like it was to President Snow and the other government people. Murdering children was a fun line she loved crossing, practically played hopscotch on the damn thing. No child was safe from her hunger, ever.

Morgana had made a game of it sometimes. [i] _ Who does Mommy love more? Who forgot to eat their vegetables? Who didn’t clean after themselves? Who can scream louder?[/i] _ She reveled in the new games she could create. Sometimes she even made the kids attack each other, like in the [i] _ Hunger Games _ [/i].

Hence my dislike for the book. Hence my dislike for any sort of thing like that where children are brutally murdered for sport.

I couldn’t explain that to Bee. It was hard to come back from telling someone you were a blood hungry vampire for fifty years. That would lead to a whole new argument...

“It’s not about kids being killed for fun.” Bumblebee said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “It’s about ponies fighting a fractured government with all they have.”

“Our first argument. This is our first argument.” I said, a bit surprised. Not the fact that we were arguing, but that-

Bee widened his eyes. “Our first argument is about ‘[i] _ The Pony Games _ [/i]’.” Yeah. That. Still, could be worse things for it to be about. Like take-out or childcare. “That’s hilarious.” He laughed.

I laughed with him.

“You read the books.” Bee reminded me.

My laughter stopped. “No. My friend just likes telling me all the details of the book series.”

“[i] _ Right _ [/i].” Bumblebee nodded his head, winking at me with his honey gold eyes. “Sure.”

I glared at him, grinning. “You read a book written for  _ [i]fillies _ [/i].” His eyes cartoonishly shrunk. “And with that, I win.”

Bee snorted, lowering his eyes back to the book. “I [u] let [/u] you win.”

“I guess you also [u] let[/u] me win that ice cream contest.” I teased.

“The ice cream was getting on my mane!” He defended himself. He was even pouting, which I thought was adorable.

My coltfriend and I sat in silence for another few minutes, until I remembered a big detail I had left out of my story.

“There was a version of you in that world!” I shouted suddenly. It had slipped my mind, and Bee was confused enough after I explained the Mane Six’s counterparts. I was so focused on explaining why Cookie was here that I overlooked some of the other details.

Plus, his other self had acted oddly when he found out about it. It would probably be the same here, and I hated repeating conversations.

Bee looked up from his book, worried. “I had a double?”

“Yeah. He called himself Bumblebee too.” I smiled fondly. He looked good in those jackets...and that suit...

“And you...[i] _ liked _ [/i] him?” Bee asked, hesitant.

“You should know.” I teased.

“W-what?” The Pegasus crossed his hooves, causing the book to close. He hurriedly opened it back, trying to find his page. “How would I know-”

“I’m dating [i] _ you _ [/i], you idiot.” I giggled.

Bee paused, hooves lowering back to his book. “Oh. Right.” He let out a relieved laugh. “That’s why.” I giggled as his expression relaxed. “And he looked like me?” Bee asked, confused.

“Well, no.” The pegasus started sweating. I smiled, fondly. “He had blue eyes...”

“W-what?” My somewhat relieved coltfriend asked.

“Yeah.” I smiled, leaning back in my chair. “He told me he had blue eyes. Showed them to me too, and I was kinda confused about why your’s-”

“Nope. Eyes are gold, always have been.” The pegasus lied, and it showed.

“Aww. That’s too bad.” Bee gave me a look. “I  _ [i]liked[/i] _ the blue eyes.”

That got his attention. “Did you?”

“Oh yeah.” I smiled, biting my lip to keep from laughing. “I think that’s my type, now. Black mane, blue eyes, pegasus. Mmm.”

The stallion was easier to read than a book. He smirked, falling into my trap. “Well. You caught me. I’ve got blue eyes. Use a...a...a thing to keep them gold.”

I smiled softly. “Don’t feel like you have to hide who you are, Bee. I can handle blue eyes. I can handle pretty much anything.”

Bee hesitated, then grinned. “Okay. I’ll just...uh...”

“Bathroom’s around that corner.” I said, pointing at it with my hoof. My magic picked up the pen, adding final details to the Hut design. “First door on the left.”

My coltfriend looked off that direction, then smiled at me. “Hey, Starry?”

My cheeks went a darker shade of pink. That was quickly becoming my favorite nickname. “Yeah, Bee?”

His smiled widened. “I told you that you’d have fun.” He flew off to my bathroom.

Oh, I wanted to whack him upside his head. I bit my lip as I looked over the blueprints.

“Okay.” I said, lifting up the design. “Woah. We can actually have a media room if I do it that way.”

With that done, my mind went to the other Plans I was working on. The Feud, how I was able to be a part of the Elements of Harmony, and how to explain Cookie to my parents.

Lifting a notebook with my magic, I began writing out theories on the Elements. It could have something to do with my alicorn magic being out of whack. The Elements had been part of the thing that gave me my wings could have a hand in that. I wasn’t an actual Element, but neither were the others. They at least had their Equestrian counterparts, I didn’t. Twilight might have a few ideas of her own.

Telling my parents about Cookie...

Skip!

The Feud. Ah, something enjoyable. Now, I’m a firm believer of [i] _ poetic justice[/i] _ . Eye for an eye, and all that. The details are a bit sketchy at the moment for my Plan, but I’ll get justice for all the years of mental abuse.

“Alright. My blue eyes.”

Looking up at him, I was again shocked by Bumblebee’s blue eyes. I trotted up to him. For the first time since he asked me out, he looked nervous. He shuffled his hoof on the floor, barely able to keep his head up so I would see his gorgeous bright blue eyes.

His smirk was hesitant, and nervous. “S-so, you...you like?” 

Later, I would completely deny doing this. My hoof took hold of his cheek, staring right into his neon blue eyes. I could see so much of him, years of self doubt coupled with the protectiveness you get from having a young sibling.

I pulled him over for a kiss. It took him a second to realize what was happening, and Bee kissed me back. I pulled away before he could stop me.

“See?” I said, smirking. “Told ya I loved the blue.”

Bumblebee was a bit dazed. He shook his head, trying to get back to the real world. I should kiss him more often if it does that every time.

“I’ll...” Bumblebee smiled, dazed. “Remember that.”

[hr]

After Bee left, with plans made for this following Saturday night, the night went on with only a few complications. Lilac wouldn’t talk to me at dinner, while Cookie stared at her utensils with realization that she could use them.

To try and lift her spirits, I made Lilac’s favorite banana nut with ruby muffins. For Cookie, I have her some snickerdoodles I found in my pantry. I can’t remember why I had them...must’ve bought them by accident when shopping. Either way Cookie ate them, and Lilac barely spoke.

I tucked Cookie into bed, letting her sleep on the couch until I could fix up one of the rooms to better suit her. I wouldn’t touch Killjoy’s, couldn’t, so I guess I would have to make one for her. Woohoo, another remodel.

Lilac was under her covers when I walked into the room. School started up for next week, I suddenly remembered. I had to help her get ready for that, not to mention getting her ad Cookie ready for school back Home.

Her back was to me, so I just trotted to her bedside. She curled tighter on herself, away from me.

“Princess?” I called out gently.

Nothing.

I nervously bit at my lip. “I’m sorry.” She still didn’t move. “It was hurtful of me to not bring you along, but I couldn’t do that to you. The dragons, they’re dogs over there. Your friends were human,  _ really _ human. I couldn’t put your through that.”

Nothing.

“Cookie was going to be a pet, but I think this is better.” I reached a good up to her bed, lowering it to the cushions before it reached her shoulder. “You have a little sister. How cool is that? You’re the cool big sister. Cookie’s always going to look up to you, always going to be your best friend, always be the most annoying person you’ve ever met. To her, you’re going to be [i] _ Lilac, my big sister _ [/i]. You’ll be her hero.”

There was silence for a long moment. “...like Aunt Killjoy?” Her voice was heavy, like she had barely stopped herself from crying.

The mention of my sister added tension to the room. I winced, nervously shifting on the carpet floor.

“I didn’t know you switched.” Lilac said, voice cracking. “The mean man...he...he said you were hurt...r-really badly. I didn’t know what had happened to you, or anybody. It was just Spike and me, and we were scared.” She sniffled.

My hoof reached out, brushing soothingly on her head fins. She sniffled loudly, almost a full sob.

“The-The mean man...he said...he said he had s-something of you...and he gave me a s-smelly rag.” Lilac let out a sob. “It had Auntie Killjoy’s blood on it.”

“Oh Princess.” I climbed up into her bed, pulling her into a hug.

Lilac buried her face in my chest, tears soaking my fur. It hardly mattered to me, let her cry. She needed this, we both did. “I-I didn’t know it was Auntie’s!” My daughter cried. “I thought it was you that was hurt!”

I kept running smooth circles on her back, letting her pour it all out.

“And then he said you were [i] _ dead _ [/i]!” Lilac sobbed, harder. “I-I didn’t wanna believe it! Not even when Ms. Care and Ms. Maddie and Ms. Anna saved me. Ms. Caroline wanted to save you. I was so scared, Mommy!”

“Princess, I’m so sorry.” I said soothingly. My hooves were still holding her in the hug, so I started rocking her gently like one would an infant.

Lilac sniffled, then went back to sobbing. “A-and th-then I-I hear-heard the c-coun-ting.”

I knew where this was going. “Princess, you don’t have to go on.” [i] _ ‘We both know what happened next. I don’t want you to relive that.’ _ [/i]

“Then I found out it was Auntie Killjoy’s blood.” Lilac sniffled, wiping at her watering midnight blue eyes. My heart went out. No child should have to go through that. “He gave me a rag of Auntie Killjoy’s blood, and told me it was your’s. I was scared, and no one would tell me anything.”

“Lilac...”

She sniffled again. “A-and I’m scared, Mommy. You love Auntie Killjoy. You still cry cause of how much you miss her. I don’t wanna love Cookie that much and then lose her. I don’t wanna lose my sister. I don’t wanna get that close to somepony and lose them.”

Her words were broken up by sniffles and the occasional choking sob. I brushed my hoof on her back, adding gentle kisses to her forehead. The next few minutes were just filled with her sobs, until I knew what to say.

“Sometimes, Lilac, bad things happen to good people.” I began. “Now, your aunt had her faults, don’t get me wrong. She was pigheaded, bossy, could never keep a guy for longer than three days, and pretty much every sentence had a swear word in it.”

I paused, putting my hoof under Lilac’s chin so she was looking up into my eyes. Her usually peppy midnight blue reptile eyes were now watery, and the pupils were wide like a pony’s would be. Her ear fins were low to her shoulders, which were slumped. Her whole body was saying [i _ ]I just spent ten minutes crying to my mother’s chest and I’m not done _ [/i].

“[i] _ But _ [/i] your aunt never did anything without her full heart.” I smiled fondly. “If she didn’t want to do it completely, it wasn’t done. She always stood up for her friends, not just me either. Darce had an odd way of getting people to have fun, no matter what was going on. She was probably the most open minded person in the whole of creation.” I kissed Lilac’s forehead, keeping one hoof around her back.

She had gotten to big for me to cradle her in my hooves, so I settled for wrapping my wings around her.

“Wanna know a secret? I hated Darcy when I first met her.” Lilac looked at me with wide shocked eyes. “I know, hard to believe. We were the best of friends, real twins, and I didn’t even want to acknowledge her existence the first few days. She was...well, I gave you that list. I convinced myself that maybe she was just what I needed, the sister I’d always wanted, just after she saw the house blow up.”

“She told me you told her she was stupid.” Lilac commented, softly.

“Oh no, she was. All the time. Never met a bigger idiot than your aunt, she was six when she did that.” I said, shaking my head at my sister’s stupidity. “But that’s not my point. I told her all of that stuff because I was letting her in, Lilac, and I don’t know what I would do if she got hurt right after I decided to let her in.”

Lilac sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her claw. I lowered her back onto her bed, keeping a wing wrapped around her even as my magic lifted the blanket over her.

“So, what I’m trying to say Princess, is give Cookie a chance.” I kissed her forehead again. “You never know just what you’re missing.”

I stayed there with her for another few minutes, then trotted off to my room. My daughters were smart, they would work this out.

Now...how to explain Cookie to Mom and Dad?


	14. Chapter 14

It was finally time to see Kick-Ass 2.

August 17th, and the clock was about to strike 7:30.

Jimmy walked into my office, becoming shocked at today’s decorating choice. It was all done in a  _ Mad Tea Party _ theme; dark green walls to look like a forest with a dozens of flowery vines, the coffee table decorated with various kinds of tea cups, couches made out to look like mushrooms, and my desk had been turned into a giant fallen log tree.

On my head, I wore a dark green top hat with a blue polka dot ribbon tied around it. I smiled crazly at Jimmy. I was still sitting on the mushroom couch, having tea.

I had been on the famous Cloud Nine since seeing Bee’s blue eyes. It was just one step closer to finding more out about him, like maybe hear about his siblings or what he did, or just  _ anything _ .

“Hello dearie.” I said in a Scottish accent, holding up one of the plastic tea cups. “Welcome to the party.” I lifted my pinkie, drinking the tea.

Jimmy looked a little weirded out, to say the least. “Uh. What happened to the office?” He looked at my window, seeing the magical moving butterfly and horsefly stickers on them.

“Lilac and I showed Cookie  _ Alice in Wonderland _ , and the theme’s been in my head ever since.” I admitted, going back to my normal accent. I hopped up from the mushroom couch, practically skipping to the door. “Took a bit of science and shit to make the room a SMART room, remember that weird Disney movie SMART house? I basically did that here.” I lied. “You’re a bit early, but it’s cool.”

“Well, uh, you know what they say about the early bird.” Jimmy nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. He looked around the garden room again.

I usually kept my lights on low, seeing as I spent most of my time in here either Traveling or watching TV to help procrastinate for what I was  _ supposed _ to be doing in here. Sometimes I was reminded of how strange my life looked to other people.

He’s lucky he wasn’t here for the actual tea party. Cookie played an excellent Alice, and Lilac an excellent Dormouse. It got real crazy, real fast, as all Stardust parties did. It hadn’t seemed weird at the time, it seemed like a great way to help Cookie adjust to her new world. She’s been taking it almost too well, like a duck to water and cat’s don’t do water.

She’s taking it like Darcy had. Darcy had been excited about it from the start, ever since I first told her about it. Maybe that’s the problem. She’s like her aunt, and I don’t want anyone to be  _ like Darcy _ . I want Darcy. It was no use crying about it anymore, she had been dead five years. Dead. I couldn’t bring her back this go around.

I took off my hat, putting it on the hat rack. My other clothes were normal; a green shirt with  _ Psych _ written in bold white, my washed out jeans, and my pink sneakers. Darcy’s necklace was around my neck, since I felt exposed without her by my side in some way, and the reality watch on my wrist. I put on my infinity bag, just in case.

Jimmy were a plaid blue t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. He looked alright in them, certainly seemed a little taller. He was still looking around the room. “Wow. The perks of royalty.”

“Boy, you have no idea.” I smirked. I let out a relieved sigh. “I’ve been waiting almost three weeks to see this movie.”

“Excited about the release?” Jimmy asked.

“No. I mean it’s been three weeks since I invited you to it, and I’m a naturally patient person. Ish.” I explained, walking backwards towards the door. Jimmy snorted, shaking his head. “Our lives are complicated, but it makes talking about time travel sound normal.”

“Right? I never understood why all those people got so confused about it.” Jimmy laughed. “Sometimes, you can live three whole years in a day. You can be in 1916 for breakfast, 2458 for lunch, and home in time for curfew.”

“Yes!” I sighed, happy to have someone understand it. “That’s  exactly it. Why don’t they get it?”

Jimmy shrugged. “I-I have a no idea.”

*knock* *knock*

I glared at the door. “If that is Tracy with some made-up bullshit for tonight, I will hang her by her thumbs.” I reached up to the door handle.

“That was violent.” Jimmy remarked.

“ _ I’m _ violent.” I shot back, twisting the knob open. “Tracy, you are not- _ Katelynn with a K! _

Katelynn smirked, her blonde hair done in crimps today. “I hope not. That lady’s annoying.”

“K!” I squealed, hugging the smaller teen. Seriously, she was a good head shorter than me. The teen laughed, hugging me back. “What are you doing here?”

She ended the hug, looking at me expectantly. “I have  _ great _ news.

I gasped. “Quinn Loftis is downstairs to sign all of my books and also give me the next one?”

Katelynn laughed. “No, sorry.” She was still smiling.

I pouted. “Well, now nothing you say will get me back to that level of excitement.”

“I have a permanent job here as of tomorrow.” Katelynn said.

“Except that.” I squealed again, clapping my hands excitedly. Being around small children for the better part of your day, their habits tend to rub off on you. “You said your internship was done.”

“This job was way too much fun.” Katelynn said. She looked around my office. “You redecorate your office almost everyday-”

“I’m allowed to have a change in character.” I defended the change.

“You give me good hours.” Katelynn went on.

“Cause you have a life and you should get to live it.” I agreed, snorting at our exchange.

“And the pay is good.” Katelynn finished.

“Cause we’re women trapped in teenage bodies. We can’t get better jobs than this.” I joked.

Katelynn laughed, then turned to see Jimmy standing a bit behind us. “W-Who’s this?”

Jimmy held out his hand, nervous. “Jimmy Cipes.” He introduced himself. “Morgan’s friend from kindergarten.”

Katelynn smiled, shaking the hand. “Katelynn Meldon.” She said. I noticed her cheeks starting to turn a bit pink.

I smirked. In my head, I could hear Rarity’s scream of  _ ‘Idea!’ _ Jimmy turned to me. “You know what, I’ll just head out to the parking lot. Whose car are we taking?”

“Mine. It’s the white Jeep Liberty outside.” I said. Jimmy looked a bit surprised. “Early birthday present from the Centre.” Jimmy nodded in understanding, walking out of my office.

Katelynn watched him walk off, only making my smirk wider. “You like him!” I said once the door closed. “Katelynn with a K, you go get that!”

“No!” Katelynn immediately scoffed. “Aren’t you-”

“Already got a boyfriend. He’s a pegasus.” I said, feeling my heart speed up just a tad by thinking about Bee. “Jimmy and I are just going to hang out  _ as friends _ . You and him need to go on a date  _ not as friends _ .” I encouraged. “One of my friends is the Alicorn of Love. I’ve learned to see the signs, and Katelynn with a K, you might as well be a Barden Bella because that is the only song you’re singing!” 

The blonde looked back in the direction Jimmy left. “What?”

“It’s a reference to  _ Pitch Perfect _ , geez. Don’t change subject, it only makes me more suspicious.” I said. Katelynn stuffed her hands in her pockets nervously. “I’ll put in a good word.” I offered in a sing-song voice.

She sighed. “You won’t let this go.”

“ Never .” I promised, in a gravely voice. “I’m a shipper, this will not sink.”

She gave in. “What’s his number?”

I squealed, again. Katelynn smiled brightly, chuckling at my childlike enthusiasm.

==DMLC==

After searching in his file, I gave Katelynn the number. She was almost skipping off as she walked out of the office. I waited a few minutes before walking out behind her, giving them a chance to have another  _ meet cute _ moment.

I took the time to comment to myself that my birthday was exactly one month away. Katelynn could actually bring Jimmy for a date, and that would just be ultimate cuteness! More than that, if things went well, I could tell Bee...

Which was feeling odd already. We’d been dating three weeks now, and I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to tell him that I was a Princess of my Earth, and that I was a human, because if Bumblebee took it well then why couldn’t he? There was this bit of doubt, that maybe Bumblebee accepted it so well because of something that happened with his past. Maybe Bee wouldn’t be as accepting, despite my best wishes.

He just felt...different. I knew that he liked me, maybe even loved me, but I wanted him to accept me too.

I should also call Lila, and see if she wanted to bring anyone or had any ideas. Pinkie was the party planner (like there was any doubt), but I’m sure she’d be happy to take suggestions.

Katelynn’s mom had driven her off, I saw the car leaving the lot. My jeep and Tracy’s accord were the only ones in the parking lot now. Jimmy was standing by my car, nervously rubbing at his neck. Did the meeting not happen, or was my car locked?

“Did I lock my car by accident?” I asked him. It had happened on occasion, I pressed the wrong button on this weird knob key they gave me. Lilac once pressed the  _ panic _ button because she was tired of waiting for me to come out to the car.

He shook his head. “No. Just...my mom heard about the movie.”

Oh Story no, please no. I groaned. “Oh no.” My hand reached up to the vein ( _ I think Darcy called this one Sam _ ) in my forehead. “What movie are we seeing instead?” I sighed, trying not to groan.

“ _ Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters _ .” Jimmy said, uncomfortable at my reactions.

“Motherless son of a goat!” Jimmy looked at me oddly. I shrugged, marching to my seat. “Trying to stop swearing. Got two kids now.”

“ _ Two _ kids?” Jimmy asked, getting into the passenger side. He was really confused when I took the driver seat. “Wait...you don’t have a license.”

“I’m Morgan Spencer, I don’t need one.” I remarked, turning the car on. It was blasting country music, much to Jimmy’s apparent annoyance.

He reached for the radio dial. “Uh. Don’t like country. Can we-”

“Driver picks the music. Passenger shuts his cake hole.”

==DMLC==

The movie had been good, but that didn’t stop me from being an emotional wreck. The scene with Tyson being too much of a reminder about what happened to Darcy. I may not have actually seen my sister pass, but I felt it. I always felt it...

I knew Kick-Ass 2 was violent, incredibly so, that was why I wanted to see it. It was to give me some kind of inspiration on the Feud. Not that I would do anything from the movie, but more like encourage me to actually do it.

The drive back to Jimmy’s house was a big longer than I thought. Why didn’t I pay attention to his file when it said where he lived now? He lived in Charleston, across the bridge, so I had to drive over it through late Saturday night traffic.

More than that, this meant Tracy had to put my girls to bed. I was disappointed, as I wanted to show the girl’s their new rooms in the Hut before bedtime. The new additions I made to the interior dimensions would make living there a lot easier. That, and Tracy was a poor babysitter.

“Earlier, you mentioned having two kids.” Jimmy reminded me.

“Lilac and Cookie.” I said, with a happy smile. Our conversation had shifted into small talk once the drive started, and my occasional singing of the song playing. After the movie, we talked about it and some of the previews. “A dragon and a cat turned griffon.” I explained further.

Jimmy paused. “O...kay...” There was a beat (and a honk, because the guy in the next lane cut me off) “Do your parents know?”

“They know about Lilac.” I commented, getting to the turn to his neighborhood. “Cookie is...new.”

“They don’t know you have a second daughter?” Jimmy asked, grinning. “How did you do that? My mom finds out when I have a second bad grade. Turn here.”

I shrugged, following street signs to find his house. This neighbourhood was a lot bigger than I thought. “My family and I don’t talk much anymore. Something about conflicting schedules. According to Facebook, my mom is working on setting up the new school year and dad is helping.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jimmy frowning. “They didn’t take the traveling thing too well, I guess?”

“No, no they didn’t.” I mumbled, finding his street. “Why do you think Tracy works with me? She’s their babysitter.”

“I heard about Darcy.” Jimmy said. Luckily the car was already in park, or I might’ve let off the brake. “Everyone at the Centre has a some point, I mean. There’s a ton of rumors about what happened-”

“Dominic took us both, Darcy died., I broke out, and then Dominic died.” I said in a cold detached voice.

Jimmy winced. “Yeah. Yeah that was the gist of what they said.” He gulped. I gave him a half glare. “I don’t want to talk about… _ that night _ ...I’d rather talk about her.” My eyes softened. Most people dropped the subject of Darcy after hearing she was a  _ Created _ . This must’ve been why Jimmy and I were good friends in kindergarten. “Is that okay?”

“...it’s good.”

“Where was she from a horror movie, right?”

“Right.” I honestly tried putting that movie out of my head since her death. It was too much of a reminder. “ _ Child’s Play. _ ”

Jimmy grinned. “Oh! That’s...that’s cool.” He climbed out of the car. Out of some weird obligation, I climbed out with him. “That’s the one with the guy who turns himself into a doll?”

“Chucky. His girlfriend does too, and their kids.” I commented, remembering some of Darcy and I’s misadventures during  _ Seed of Chucky _ .

“How did he do that?” Jimmy asked, a slightly smug smile on his face.

I sighed. It was hard thinking about those movies. The last time I  really did was when I went to  _ Seed of Chucky _ . “He was brought back by the Heart of Dam-” My eyes widened, my jaw dropped.  _ ‘Son of a bitch!’ _

“The what?” Jimmy asked, tilting his head to the side innocently.

“The Heart of Damballa.” I breathed. “It’s a mystical object that brought Chucky back to life again and again.”

Jimmy was grinning. It was slightly disarming, almost proud. Had he figured this out?

“Jimmy.” I said in almost like a warning.

“I watched all the movies.” Jimmy said excitedly. My smile was coming back. “I almost called, but I wanted to see your face.”

I smiled wide, and in a moment of weakness, I ran over to hug Jimmy. Well, it was closer to a chokehold than a hug. “Dude!” I laughed. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I kept repeating the sentence to him.

Jimmy laughed with me. He wrapped his arms around me, almost as tight as I was hugging him.

“I can get Darcy back!” I cheered. Happy tears started coming out of my eyes.

“Wait.” Jimmy sighed. He pulled back, looking actually a bit sad to have found the downside. “She died like, what, eight months ago? Her body has to be bones by now.” Jimmy pointed out. “And she lost her head! She would have to be a doll.”

My smile didn’t fade or falter. On my wrist, my watch buzzed like the alarm was going off. “I can fix that.” I said.

_ I’m bringing my sister back. _

No sooner had I had this thought, the multiple plants around Jimmy’s house became active. The bushes grew into hedges, the little trees into bigger trees, the flowers grew to near human height. I stared at them all in shock, still in my car.

“Woah!” Jimmy shouted, one having grabbed his ankle. 

“Oh my god!” I gasped. I ran over to him, reaching for his head to try and pull him away.

The plants here were a lot stronger than the ones in my backyard and office. They were tugging at Jimmy, dragging him away from me.

The power was coming from me, so I just had to focus and cut off the earth pony magic directed towards the plants. Should be simple enough, just close my eyes and unthink it. Without any other plan, I shut my eyes and focused on the power slipping into the plant life.

It must have worked. A minute or so later, Jimmy became much easier to pull away from the plants. I breathed a sigh of relief, opening my eyes to see the plants retreating back into their original positions. Though...they had an unnatural blue light shining on them.

“Morgan behind you!” Jimmy warned.

Looking back, I saw one of my portals behind us. My jaw dropped. ‘ _ Of course. First earth pony, then pegasus, and I guess this is my unicorn magic. Creating the portals is my type of magic, and I bet if I walk through it’ll lead to an Equestria.’ _

Lifting my hand, I flicked my wrist as I usually did to remove the portal. To my horror, it only made it bigger. It was starting to suck my car and what I assume was Jimmy’s mom’s car too.

“Gah!” I yelped, shaking my wrist harder to try and get rid of the portal.

“Morgan, hurry up!” Jimmy said in warning. “People are gonna notice!”

“You know what, I was thinking about leaving it there! Adds some lighting to your house!” I snapped. “I’m  trying to stop it, Jimmy!”

“Right Got it! Sorry!” He called out, ducking behind his mom’s car. “I’ll leave you to it!”

“Thanks!”

Okay. Focusing on earth pony power got it to stop, so maybe not focusing on power at all got it all to stop? I’d rather the plants not come attack us next. Stretching out my hands, I took a calming breath to focus my magic.

They glowed with a pale yellow light, that I recognized as my alicorn magic. The glow soon covered the portal, shrinking it steadily in size. It took around a minute for it to shrink down to the size of a dinner plate.

I flicked my wrist, this time successfully making the portal vanish. Looking back to Jimmy, I saw him staring with wide eyes at the end of driveway. His mom ran out at that moment, thankfully after the danger had passed. She immediately ran to her son, making sure he was alright.

Something tells me I would be having trouble getting Darcy back now.


	15. Chapter 15

After Tracy heard about the incident (because Jimmy’s mom heard and called) she ordered me back to the Centre. Jimmy had told me he would call in the morning, to see if everything was alright with me and if I had Darcy back. It was well past the girls bedtime, but I was disappointed to hear they hadn’t woken up. I would’ve liked a little support right now.

My office was still in the Wonderland setting. It was the best bit of comfort right now. Tracy asked I bring Twilight here, the only bit of Traveling I was allowed. The glorified babysitter proceeded to wake up my mother and have her come down to the Centre. Dad was apparently needed for church tomorrow.

Mom was standing behind the mushroom arm chair, glaring at Tracy because she was only normal thing in this room. Twilight was looking over her notes on a table that looked like a really big blade of grass bent over. Tracy was going over her clipboard, which had a copy of the scans Twilight had been giving me in her basement.

I was reclining on the mushroom couch, though relaxing was the furthest thing from my mind. It wasn’t even for the same reason everyone else was worried. My foot was hopping in my desire to run after the Heart of Damballa. It was an ancient voodoo necklace with the power to move souls. All I needed to do was get it, and a doll, and use it to awaken Darcy. I had already memorized the spell (I was superstitious, okay?)

There were some drawbacks, of course. The Heart of Damballa was with a new owner, Tiffany (aka, the woman now possessing Jennifer Tilly). She would have recently used them to transfer the souls of her twins into the bodies of...her twins (it’s complicated). She’ll be hesitant to give me the Heart. There was also the fact that Darcy had been dead for five years (on Earth, though, seven months) so her body was useless.

The biggest drawbacks was that no one was letting me [i] _ go save my sister[ _ /i].

The three other women were arguing in front of me. Their conversation had been tuned out for the most part. I listened back in, finding it just as interesting as when I first came in.

Tracy had looked up from her clipboard, annoyed at the results if her face was anything to go on. “You said she was getting better.”

“She was! I had thought with the use of the Elements that Morgan’s powers would have fixed themselves-” Twilight tried to explain.

“Well they obviously didn’t.” Mom snapped, hands on her hips. “So now what do we do? I can’t let her come to school and risk the lives of the other students.”

Here I am, Queen of the Travelers, almost 200 years old, mother of two, and apparently I’m not needed in a discussion about myself. [i] _ What a time to be alive. _ [/i]

“I ran more tests after the Princess Summit.” Twilight explained. “The data showed no drastic changes. Raspberry was fine!”

“Was Morgan?” I countered, speaking for the first in time in (if my wall clock that looked like a pocket watch was right) twenty minutes.

Twilight was the only one capable of hearing me. I’ll attribute that to her equine hearing. “Huh?”

“Your Majesty, you’re in enough trouble as it is.” Tracy advised, giving me a look to respectfully shut up.

I carried on, talking purely out of spite. “Well, it would make sense if my alicorn self could handle the magics of the Elements. She’s Equestrian. My human self would have some obvious difficulties. The most magic I’ve dealt with when in this body was...in January.”

Twilight looked ready to slap herself with a book [i] _ (The ultimate betrayal) _ [/i]. “Of course. The human body, or the Traveler one in this case, would naturally have some resistance to the magic. That’s why you haven’t made a portal by accident yet. The Elements were too powerful, so your body had to expunge it with the most powerful spell it had; portals.”

“Okay. That’s good and all.” Mom said. “But I’m not understand it.”

I had to hold back from rolling my eyes at my mother. “My human body can’t cope with the magic of Equestria, so it expels it into the air however it knows how. Moving clouds, growing plants, creating portals. Once the magic is cleared from my system, it retracts.” I hopped up from the couch. My shirt needed to be fixed, from the odd position lying on the couch made. “I’ll be back to normal in a few days.”

Mom stared intently at me, ready for an argument. “Is there any way of proving it?”

A groan fought to be free from my throat. Tracy also added “We can run tests in the lab downstairs in the morning-”

Tracy’s tests sent chills down my spine. With the way she said [i] _ test _ [/i] I had the sick feeling it wouldn’t be like Twilight’s in her basement. Images in my head of being strapped to a table, or wrapped in a straight jacket with IV’s peaking out. That kind of testing has always been my main fear, and why from age ten to fifteen in Earth years I flinched at the mention of the word. Sometimes I’d even have a panic attack.

It may seem silly, but really think about it. Everything I had heard up until my discovery of the Travelers has been negative towards the unknown. I was always scared of being dragged away from home by men in black SUV’s, of ding forced into strenuous tests to figure out how my powers worked.

For one horrible year in a Travel to a book, it wasn’t even a silly fear it was my reality. Course, I blew up the building after a year along with the people inside it. Before you look at me like that, they had killed an eight year old child with a modified super virus, they did it to themselves.

No. Twilight wouldn’t let them test me that way. She would be in charge, as the leading expert on Equestrian magic she would better understand the readings. She wouldn’t let them endanger me, or traumatize me. She had learned her lesson on going to extremes for a test.

Another thing I found wrong with Tracy’s solution was the time frame. 

“The morning?! No way!” I shouted. “My sister needs me [u ]now [/u]. If I just pop into Seed of Chucky, grab the Heart, I can bring her back!”

Tracy looked at me with a deadpan stare. She knew since we met that I was a bit off kilter, so she had long since stopped calling me [i] _ crazy _ [/i]. It helped that I was 199 so way passed the teenager stage.

Mom disagreed. She had no such qualms arguing with me on my lifestyle. “Morgan, honey, you need help. This sounds unsafe.” 

“No I [i] _ need[/i]  _ my sister back!” I argued, a hand going to my hip while the other waved in the air to help make my point.

“Darcy died. You of all people know that.” Mom said, in an reassuring yet demeaning voice.

“But with the Heart of Damballa I could bring her back!” I argued, feeling insane going in circles like this. Why weren’t they getting it? My sister could be brought back. I didn’t need to make a deal with a Shadow Man, or with a Crossroads demon, or even trade my life for her’s. One spell with that necklace and my sister would be by my side. 

I let her down once, I wasn’t about to do it again.

Twilight seemed ready to join my cause. There was sympathy in her large purple eyes. She had known Darcy, better than my mother and Tracy did. 

“I can be there and back in five minutes.”

“Then you’ll surely be able to wait until morning. After the testing.” Tracy said. She was smiling smugly, as if playing a trump card.

My lips curled up into a snarl. “No. I can go now and be back in five minutes, three if Tiff’s in a good mood.”

Tracy scoffed. “The girlfriend of a serial killer, in a good mood? That’s with you lying dead.”

“No! She swore it off for Glen and Glenda.” I argued. This argument was starting to piss me off.

“Didn’t she murder the nanny on their birthday?” Tracy countered.

I huffed. “Tracy, can you just-”

“If that’s what you view as reasonable behavior from a mother of two, then I worry about your daughters.” Tracy said.

Twilight gasped, hand flying to her face. She hugged her results closer, while I was plotting Tracy’s [i] _ accidental[ _ /i] murder.

“You have another daughter?” Mom asked, crossing her arms Mom style.

I paused, remembering Mom hadn’t heard that bit of news. “...yes.”

“I have another granddaughter, and you didn’t think to tell me?” Mom questioned.

“Her name is Cookie Eleanor.” Tracy said, looking over her paperwork. Mom turned all her attention to my babysitter. “She was a kitten, age three months at find of adoption. She is now a human child, slash griffin, who according to the math is four human years.”

Mom gave me a look.

“You were busy. I was getting around to it-”

“Morgan, you expect me to believe you’re responsible enough to go after this Heart of whatever, when you go and take in another child without any conference with your father and me?” Mom asked.

I was feeling properly scolded, and a sick case of deja vu from my fight with Twilight. The purple alicorn seemed to be on the same track as me. She didn’t intervene, as this was obviously between my mother and myself.

“Mom, this is my sister.” I pleaded, changing subjects back to my original problem. Mom would have to cave if my sister, her daughter by proxy, was at stake. “I want her back. I’m better with her there, can’t any of you see that?” I asked the three of them.

Mom shook her head. She hadn’t bonded with Darcy that whole week they stayed with me. It could’ve been because Darcy was the extreme of everything Mom disliked about me. “All I see is my teenage daughter, being grounded.”

I blinked. “...what?”

“You heard me. You’re grounded, for a month. My time.” Mom said. My jaw dropped. “No more Traveling, except to take Princess Twilight home. You’re not to leave the house except for school and work. You’re [i] _ fifteen _ [/i], Morgan. Most importantly, no more talk of that Heart thing. You already have so much on your plate, with this weird magic sickness thing and your crown and school starting back up for you and Lilac. Why did you just add onto it?”

“I’m a hundred and ninety-nine!” I said, defensively. Mom continued giving me a hard look. “My daughters are my business, a-and I don’t even live in your house anymore! Dad turned my old room into a home office.”

“Then no leaving your shack.” Mom amended. She put her hands on her hips, saying how done she was with the argument.

What, I take in a kitten, that gets turned into a griffin, so I’m in trouble? “It’s the Hut!” I corrected, already knowing I lost this fight. “And I shouldn’t have to consult you and Dad on adopting Cookie-”

She threw a glare at me, and I was silenced. A mom had hundreds of superpowers, and one was the ability to silence her children with a look. My hands nervously clasped in front of me, and my shoulders sagged.

It ended differently than my fight with Twilight, in that I couldn’t raise my voice to my mother. Could anyone of you?

Though, I wanted badly to raise my fists at Tracy.

[hr]

The drive to my house was quiet. The girls had been awaken and taken to my car, Mom having left before me so she hadn’t met Cookie yet. It was for the better anyway, with how the fight thing went with Mom.

I carried Cookie passed Mom’s house, not even looking up at it. Grounded? My mom grounded me. She didn’t even ground me in January. Lilac was walking with Twilight, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Cookie hadn’t even stirred. They were in their pajamas. Lilac was in a light purple nightgown with Disney princesses on it, and Cookie was in some pajamas with weird driving dogs on it. Her wings were limp on her back in her exhaustion.

“Raspberry, why aren’t we going into the house?” The bookworm asked.

“Mom said not to leave the Hut.” I said, feeling bitter again. “So we go to the Hut.”

“Morgan, how are we all going to-”

“Remodeled it. We can fit.” I stated, ending the conversation.

The Princess sighed behind me. My eldest daughter whispered “Princess Twilight, did something happen between Mom and Grandma?”

Twilight paused. I held Cookie tighter, pulling out the key to the Hut. “Yes. They had a fight, and I really don’t think it’s a good idea to talk to your mother about it right now.”

“Oh.”

“She’ll tell you and Cookie in the morning. I’m sure of it. Raspberry just needs time to process it.”

I unlocked the door, pushing it open for Lilac. She was looking at me with uncertainty, and hesitation. I couldn’t look her in those big blue eyes, ashamed of myself for letting Mom get to me.

Lilac walked on by in the new Hut. She reached up for her sister, and I let myself smileys the four year old woke up.

“Uhh.” Cookie groaned. “Wanna bed.”

Lilac laughed to, holding her arm around her sister to keep her up. “Sure thing, Cookie. Mom made you your own room here, and I have one too.” Cookie yawned, resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.

The four of us walked inside. The Stardusts were used to the new landscape, but the Sparkle was surprised.

“Woah...” Twilight said, gaping at all the new surroundings. “You...”

“Remodeled.” I grumbled, sitting on my new couch. “Made room for Cookie.”

Said child was being carried up the stairs to her bedroom. The two girls looked so precious in their pajamas. “Mom’ll come tuck us in, Cookie.”

Twilight walked toward the kitchen. Her voiced echoed. “And all of Equestria.” She commented.

I snorted, letting my hands lie on the couch in my apathy. “Sure.”

The house was bigger on the inside. It had a wide open living room, with a staircase in the back that lead to the second floor. There was a door to the kitchen just a few yards away from the stairs, and just a little ways away from the front door was one to a side room that I would use for Planning and various experiments. The only door you could see from the stairway was my room, and it wasn’t an accident.

Lilac had worked for about five minutes with Cookie on the color scheme (lots of brown and blue). It was adorable to see them working together.

Though not even their adorableness was helping me get over the fact that I was [i _ ]grounded _ [/i] and their aunt would stay dead. Cookie didn’t even know she had one.

My friend sat by me. The couch was large enough so she could sit comfortably without much difficulty in her wings.

“Morgan, you’ve been quiet since we left your office.” I took a breath, letting myself sink deeper into the couch. “I already know the answer, you’re not good at hiding it, but I still need to ask. Are you alright?” Twilight asked. 

“No.” I said, staring at the wall like it did me a personal injustice. “No, I’m not.”

She sat up straighter, hyping herself up. “We’re trying to be more honest with each other, right? At least I hope so. Tell me what’s bothering you.” She asked, putting her hand over mine in comfort. I looked up at her, trying to make it look like I didn’t care. Her eyes were just reminding me of what I’m losing. “And not as a fellow Princess, as a friend.”

My heart ached, tears burned in the corners of my eyes as I thought of voicing my concerns. Twilight was just looking at me with such patience and understanding, it made me happy we were friends. She is going to make a perfect Princess.

“I...I need to get my sister back.” I admitted, voice watery. “My sixteenth birthday is in two months, I always wanted to turn sixteen with my sister here with me. I want her to meet Bumblebee and give him the [i] _ break her heart they never find you body _ [/i] speech. I want to hear her make jokes about finally getting a boyfriend at 200. I...I want to talk to her like we used to, we shared everything. I want her to meet Cookie. Cookie! I have to get both my daughters ready for school, and myself, in both worlds. My powers are out of whack in my human body, so I have to be [i] _ tested _ [/i]-”

Twilight moved her hand to my shoulder. “Oh Celestia. You weren’t scared of the tests at school. Of course you weren’t. You were scared of being tested on.”

I flinched, shrugging her hand off my shoulder. “Whe-When you’re ol-older than your mo-mom, and loo-look ten, the weirdest things scare you.”

“It’s a perfectly viable fear-”

“[i] _ You’re only saying that because you know what I am! _ [/i]” I argued, sitting up straight on the couch to look at Twilight in exasperation. “It didn’t make sense to Mom when I was ten, how I was scared of any sort of t-test, because I’m different than anybody else. Then, then the thing with the stairs and I wake up in a hospital.”

Twilight sighed in sympathy. “When those kids pushed you down the stairs.”

I shuddered, my arms wrapping around me as the child abided. Even now, a century later, and I can still recall the skips in my heartbeat as seeing myself in a hospital with no idea how I got in. The nurses running in, because of my excited heart rate and loud screams. It was like waking up from a nightmare, only to find out if was only a worse nightmare.

For a month, I was walking around with casts on my body and stitches in my head. At the time, I thought it was a miracle they hadn’t noticed what was wrong with me. I didn’t-[i] _ couldn’t _ [/i]-risk another trip to the ER. I was super careful after that. No sports in case of injuries, no extracurricular stay could involve high places or stunts, not even riding a bike.

Even worse, no talking at school, because if they got away with it once they could get away with it twice.

“I’m still planning the Feud.” I admitted, a tear leaking from my cheek. “With Seth. I’m still planning it.” I turned to my friend, seeing disappointment covered in shock. “They hurt me, Twilight, badly. I lost a childhood, and what most people at the Centre call my real childhood. The one universe I should have felt safe only made me feel dread.”

“Morgan. I had no idea it hurt so much.” Twilight said, tears on her own cheeks.

“I...I was scared to change in the locker rooms, because of my scars.” Whatever was making me spill out the truth to Twilight, I didn’t want it to stop. [i] _ ‘If I can just explain to one person why I need me sister, maybe I still have a chance.’ _ [/i] “I was a freak to them, having scars I couldn’t explain would only make things worse.”

Twilight then pulled me into a hug. Hugs weren’t really my thing, but I was thankful for it anyway. It hid my face well enough.

“Darce never thought I was a freak.” I hiccuped. “Ever. I was her superhero. She was my rock. She was always ready for a fight, especially when it was about me.”

Twilight added a wing in the hug. I broke down into sobs.

“So [u] that’s [/u] why you let the Feud go on. You were doing it for her.” Celestia’s Faithful student put together. I cried an affirmative. “I remember that week, when you were missing and Darcy made us go into boot camp.” Twilight laughed fondly. “Darcy got us all into this song, and she said she wanted to take down Dominic so his crown would go to you.”

I must have done something to show confusion, even in the crying, because Twilight understood. “Yeah, I know. She loves you, Morgan, and she always wanted the best for you. Even if you didn’t know it.”

“I always knew.” I sobbed into her shoulder. “She’s my sister. I love her.”

“The connection between siblings sure is a strong one, I mean Shining and I still call each other BBBFF’s.” Twilight said. “And you and Darcy...well I know what you called each other.”

“Bitch and witch.” I sniffled, fondly remembering we preferred to use them in every conversation. “Merciful Storyline, I can’t wait to see what she calls Bee. *sniffle* It’ll probably be the worst nickname she can think of.”

“She called me by my hometown.” Twilight laughed. “Oh Celestia. I almost forgot. She was the one always pranking Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah. Rainbow was definitely her favorite of you lot.” I laughed tearfully, face still buried into Twilight’s shoulder. “I remember, one time, she tried covering Rainbow in poison joke and it fell on her instead. She-She turned gray.”

Twilight laughed loudly. “You’re joking!”

“N-No.” I pulled away for a second, wiping at me eyes. “I-I kept missing the paths to Z-Zecora’s because I was l-laughing so har-hard.”

There was a heavy pause, the two of us reflecting on memories of Darcy. My last happy night with her, prepping for the Gala. When she was six, and first found out about my powers. The day I bought her the pink necklace now resting over my neck. All those years in the foster system, having each others back come heaven or hell. The many birthdays the two of us shared, some with murder and some with...more murder.

Then the not-so-happy memories came. The time her doll came to me in a graveyard with the intent to kill me. When I saw her in [i] _ Doctor Who, Journey’s End[/i] _ and she swore to kill me. The fights we got into, about my powers and my family. She always wanted to tell my family, saying it couldn’t be hidden forever. When it did, she died for me. It hurt...but it hurt less than before.

Then came the daydreams, of what the two of us would be doing right now. Darcy would be moving her stuff from any of our vaults around town into her new bedroom. She’d be working with Pinkie on planning our birthday, because there was no way Darcy would want this one to be a surprise. She’d be telling Cookie all the cool stuff they could do once Cookie was older.

Darcy and Bumblebee, together in the same room. My mind wouldn’t even come up with the scenario, it was just too odd. I never had a boyfriend before, Darcy just teased me about never going on a date. 

“Darcy Anderson.” I murmured. “What did I do to deserve you?”

There was another heavy silence. Twilight pulled me out of the hug, looking me intently in the eyes. She was smiling, but a reassuring smile. “Go.” Twilight said.

“H-Huh?” I said, wiping my eyes and wishing I was in my pajamas. They had longer sleeves.

Twilight held my hand, smiling so widely it stretched to her ears. “Go tuck your daughters into bed, come back here, and go bring your sister back.”

That time, I didn’t flinch in the hug.


	16. Chapter 16

When morning came around, I realized it was Sunday. Church is in three hours, my sister would be back by moonrise, and my daughters would be watched by Twilight until I returned. I would explain more, but I was also too excited too sleep so I’m running on pure force of will.

At first, I wanted Darcy to be a surprise for the girls. Just the image of them coming down for breakfast only to see their aunt at the table. Then, I remembered Cookie had no idea who Darcy was. Plus Lilac would want to know what happened, so I would have to explain it to her beforehand in hopes she’d understand.

Above all they were family, they deserved to know another member was coming.

In my nerves, I made full use of my new kitchen. Gemstone, fish, and chocolate pancakes, banana nut muffins with rubies, apples, sausage and bacon, and scrambled eggs. This might be too much for us, I don’t even know what I was thinking for half of this stuff.

On the table, it what was designated as my seat, were dozens of papers I had poured out the plans for getting Darcy back. It was also full of various spells that I would use to get to Tiffany’s, which doll I would use as a temporary body for her, and fake documents proving citizenship. I’d have to go to the Centre to get them all finalized and official.

There were also some plans for this house when she came. A new bed, other furniture, orders for weaponry she’d like. It was gonna be a perfect birthday for both of us!

Twilight came down first. I was working on cleaning the frying pan. She grimaced at the sausage and bacon, moving on to the apples.

“Good morning!” I cheered, tossing the pan into the bubble filled sink. It splashed on my shirt, it didn’t phase me. My sister could come back.

The bookworm princess scanned the kitchen. Her purple eyes bugged at the high stacks of paper and plates full of food. She looked at me in concern. “...morning?”

I dried off my hands, pulling out a plate for her. “Made some pancakes for us, so the girls can have fish and gemstone.”

Twilight’s eyes went from me to the food. “How long have you been awake?”

Laughing, I handed her a plate covered in fruit and pancakes. “Too much work to do for sleep.” She took the plate in her shaky hands. “Had to write up plans for before, during, and after Darcy’s back. It was easy, since I had most of the documents for Cookie printed so I just copied them for Darcy.”

Taking a seat by my papers, Twilight glanced them over. “And you’re  sure it’s going to work?” Twilight asked, hesitant.

My smile faltered. “It has to.” I said, voice low.

That was when the girls came running into the kitchen. Cookie excitedly went straight to the fish pancakes, bacon, and sausage. Lilac tiredly fell into a seat at the table.

“Morning!” I cheered, fixing up her plate. ‘ _ Toast. I forgot to make toast! _ ’

Lilac blinked, lazily. “Mom?” She asked slowly.

Cookie didn’t notice any conversation, just digging into her food.

“Sweetheart.” I called to her. “Forks?”

The griffin human titled her head in confusion, before remembering the silverware. She grabbed it, then went back to stuffing the food down her throat.

‘ _ Now I have to house train a four year old. Great.’ _ I smiled, shaking my head at her childish antics.

“Mom?”

“Yes Princess?”

My daughter and Twilight exchanged looks. Twilight bit her lip nervously, gesturing with her fork to the stacks of documents. This only made Lilac more worried.

“Is everything okay?” She said. “Miss Tracy was angry last night, and Grandma, and you were really quiet. Did something happen?”

I paused. My body went to get bread, thinking about how best to explain all of this. Should I be delicate, or blunt? I rehearsed the speech all night, but facing it I found no words.

“Well, Lilac.” I said, coming back to drop bread in the toaster. “Lots of things happened last night.”

“You look like you didn’t sleep.” She commented. She was starting to sound disappointed. “Is Us Day cancelled?”

The toaster clicked, cooking the bread to hopefully perfection. Turning to my daughter, I went to her side. I knelt on my knees, taking her hands in mine.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Lilac asked.

Cookie was getting nervous to, or at least her plate was empty. She looked over to her sister and I, green eyes big. “Mama?”

“Listen girls, last night, Mama had an accident. I’m fine now, but I really scared Grandma and Miss Tracy. They want me to take some tests later. It’s just to show that Mama isn’t hurt.”

Lilac’s eyes widened. “Is that why you made a big breakfast? Cause you’re sick?”

I smiled, softly. Twilight did too. “No. This is happy breakfast. You see those papers?”

“They look boring.” Cookie commented, picking up the whole plate of sausage.

“They were.” I joked. “They’re for your aunt, Darcy.”

“Aunt?” Cookie asked. Lilac looked at me with wide eyes.

“It means she’s my little sister, like how you’re Lilac’s sister.” I explained. “You’d call her Auntie Darcy, or Auntie Killjoy. Lilac called her that, so you can too.”

Cookie had wide eyes. “You have a sister like me?”

I nodded, smiling getting wider. “She’s my twin, which means she looks like me. She...went away, earlier this year, but I found a way to get her back.”

“Aunt Killjoy died.” Lilac whispered. There was a pained look on her face. “She  _ died _ , Mom. She’s not coming back.”

“Auntie’s dead?” Cookie asked, in an innocent voice.

At that moment the toast in the kitchen popped up.

Twilight took that moment as an excuse to retreat. “I’ll go get them.” My fellow princess went to the kitchen, purple magic taking a plate with her.

I didn’t blame her for walking away. This was feeling awkward.

My daughter looked at me with watering blue eyes. I had thought she’d be happier about it. Her aunt was coming back, we would be a real family again, Lilac wouldn’t have to feel guilty about Darcy’s death.

“I’ll only be gone an hour.” I added. “Maybe another one to make sure your aunt is okay. The thing I’m planning...she’ll be a little messed up but not hurt.”

“You’re leaving  _ now _ ?” Lilac asked, incredulously.

“Well, yeah.” I said. “Tracy wants to wait, but when Darcy comes back and finds out I  _ waited _ , your aunt won’t be happy.”

“Sunday is  Us day.” Lilac said, her bottom lip in a pout.

Oh. Of course. No wonder she’s so dejected. Sunday was a day for Lilac and I, no matter what world we were in. She probably thinks that when Darcy comes back, Us Day will be cancelled.

I kissed her forehead. “Princess, if this goes the way I hope it does, then Aunt Killjoy’s gonna join Us day. We’ll have an even  _ bigger _ family fun day.”

Lilac was still hesitant.

Cookie leapt around my arms, pulling me down into a hug. “Mama, what’s dead mean?”

“Uh...I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

==DMLC==

_ Tiffany _

_ 2009 _

The nanny was lying dead at my feet. She wasn’t the first to die since my twins were born, no there had been a few mishaps. Some nannies had been mean to my Glen and Glenda, found them crying in their room. There was this man that cut me off in traffic, I ran him off the road. A few others, here or there. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?

“I see that program went to shit.”

I gasped, looking up to see who was there. Who had seen me? I was always so careful!

It was her. That other doll. The one that helped Glen all those years ago. Her hair was still black, and her eyes were yellow. She was wearing; a white shirt from what looked like it was from the seventies, bell bottom jeans, light purple shoes, and that weird pink lollipop necklace. Huh, I thought her’s was the purple one.

Her eyes looked down at my ex-nanny, more out of curiosity. “You were doing so good too.”

“Morgan.” I finally said. This was a relief, I thought I’d actually have  _ two _ dead bodies to deal with. “How did you get here?”

She laughed. “I drove, duh.”

I smiled, nervous. I knew she wouldn’t tell, but I was wondering where her sister was. That girl had been insane. This one, she helped Glen find me. It was much better. 

“You kept your doll around?” She asked me, pointing at the Tiffany doll.

I lifted the doll up, fixing what the nanny had messed up. “Yes. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Do you keep Glen’s around?” Morgan asked.

“Of course I do. It was his first body.” I defended. “It’s up in the attic. Glen didn’t like looking at it too much.”

Morgan snickered. “Sorry, it’s just, your accent was showing. It’s a really funny one.”

I glared. “Why are you here? You and that sister of your’s left without much of a good-bye.”

“I need your help.” Morgan said.

I scoffed. “Really? Ya looked like you didn’t need much help these past few years.”

Morgan sighed, looking down at the ground. “It’s Darcy. She got her head chopped off.”

I gasped. “How? You two were so careful!”

“We got captured a little after we left you and Glen. She traded places with me, and got executed.” Morgan explained. “She died for me, and I finally remembered how to bring her back. I need the Heart of Damballa.”

I bit my lip, walking past the doll.

“Really? After all I did to help your son find you, you aren’t gonna help my get my sister back?!”

“I can’t give it to you! My children are having their birthday party just outside!” I yelled at her.

“Tiffany, come on! Don’t just leave me hanging like this! I have to get Darcy back!” Morgan pleaded. “Please! You did the same for your kids!”

“I don’t think I should.” I argued. “That sister of your’s was insane. She killed a lot of people. A bad influence on Glen.”

The doll glared. It made me remember why people were that much more scared of us in our doll forms. We looked scary with plastic angry faces. “Your daughter just watched you murder her nanny.” Morgan deadpanned. “With the doll you were possessing. Somehow Darcy is a bad influence?”

“Glenda saw  _ what _ ?!” I looked towards a window, seeing a retreating form with bright orange hair. “Shit.”

“Just give me the Heart, Tiff, please. I’m begging you!”

I groaned. This was too much to deal with today. Couldn’t I just have one normal birthday for my kids? “I don’t have it!” I yelled, exasperated. What was I going to say to Glenda?

Sitting down on my couch, I sighed. It had been a stressful five years, what with being Jennifer Tilly and making sure I was fit to keep my kids. There was also that stupid movie about Chucky they made when the twins were born.

“You  _ lost it _ ?!” The doll screeched, sounding like I just told her I crashed a car.

I groaned. Getting up from the oh so comfortable couch, I stormed over to a drawer in the display. It involved stepping over the old nanny, should really hide that thing before someone else sees. I threw a piece of paper at Morgan, too annoyed to care.

“He left that note.” I said, going back to the couch. Was it too early for a drink?

Morgan stared at the note, looking dejected. “ _ Took you long enough. -GL. _ ” She waved the note about, pissed off. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Don’t know.” Was my answer. “Couldn’t talk to the cops about it. They’d start asking questions and I don’t want to risk my babies. It was just some stalker, I get those now. Being a movie star.” I bragged, twirling some of my hair.

The doll just walked over to the couch, slumping in the cushion beside me.

“I thought it was your sister for awhile.” I said. “She was a big fan of Chucky’s.”

“GL.” Morgan mumbled.

“It was weird how she found us, back when Chucky killed me. She just showed up on my trailer doorstep.” I said, brushing the doll in my lap’s hair. It had been a nice body, for a doll. “Told me she was one of the brats Chucky tried killing in ‘88, after he died.”

“Why are those letters that familiar?” Morgan mumbled. Her plastic hand was holding tightly to the note.

Maybe it was the five years of being a mother that said what I did next. I moved closer to her, letting the Tiffany doll rest on the couch. My hand went to hold Morgan’s, and the possessed doll was too focused on the note to notice.

I raised my eyebrow at her. I shoved her arm. “Hey.” Her head snapped up to me. “Are you gonna be okay? I didn’t like your sister, like at all. On the other hand, it was because of her that you kept Glen safe.”

Morgan smiled softly. Her plastic eyes were getting wet. “Darcy was a good kid. She didn’t deserve this.” She looked down at the note again. “This was my last chance. What am I gonna do now?”

“I’d love to help, but my babies need me.” I said, walking towards the backyard.

That amulet was Morgan’s problem now. I’d like it if I never had to deal with this shit again.

==DMLC==

_ Morgan, 2013 _

It was all going well. My body had time skipped, my five years here turning into five years there. I had some time to get gifts for the twins. Nothing to damaging, just a violin for Glen and a toy medical kit for Glenda.

Sneaking into Tiffany’s house was easier than ever. It wasn’t even sneaking in, I just walked in the front door. The nanny was already dead by the time I was there. My only comfort was that I was here to get Darcy back.

The work I had put into this...I put all my eggs in this basket.

I was lying in my room. By my bed was a temporary doll body, one of mine when I was Lilac’s age. Darcy would hate being in that thing, a quick spell from the reality watch and she’d be human again. I help her adjust to being alive, and explain what happened the past five years. She’d meet Cookie, bitch slap Tracy, and then we’d celebrate our birthday. That had been my plan. 

No. It still was my plan. There was just more in the way, starting with ‘ _ GL’ _ .

The theft was too focused to be a street thug. You don’t leave a note unless you want to show-off. What did the  _ took you long enough _ mean? It could’ve been a slight at how long it took Tiffany to notice the Heart was gone, but that didn’t seem right.

Whoever stole the Heart had to know Tiffany had it. Anyone who might even  _ possibly _ know that is dead or are her children. I knew too, but only because I was a Traveler. No other Traveller could have gotten in, not without my help or Lilac’s. She would never help someone into a movie without my approval, which was a big talk we had after I became Princess.

It was too insane. It didn’t make any sense. They couldn’t have been a Traveler. It just...it was too jarring.

The note  _ was _ for me. It was someone taunting me about taking so long to find the way to save my sister. Oh Sweet Merciful Storyline, it made sense in the way that made my heart sink and inflame.

I had walked outside my room. My mind was still running all over the place. 

Twilight stood up. She sounded hesitant, as I was alone and not with my sister.

“Morgan? That was fast.” Twilight stated.

I stared at the note, blankly. 

“Morgan?” Twilight asked. “...Raspberry?”

“Mom?”

The voice of my eldest caught made me lift my head. “Yes, Princess?” My voice shook a bit, being hit with the reality that I’d have to wait before the reunion.

She blinked her dark blue eyes at me. “Is...is Aunt Killjoy okay?”

The word was bitter in my mouth. “No.” Lilac’s eyes filled with hurt. “She’s...not coming back.”

“Was she mad?” Cookie asked, appearing behind her sister. She used her wings to fly just high enough to be similar heights. “Cause sometimes when I get really mad I go away and hide until I’m not so mad no more. Is Auntie Killjoy really mad at us? What did we do? Can I tell her I’m sorry?”

“She’s not-” I cut myself off, barely holding back a surge of anger.  _ She’s not angry at you because she’s never met you because she’s dead _ .. Though, Cookie’s rambling gave me an idea. “See, there’s this big treasure I needed to get Auntie K-Killjoy ba-back. Someone took it before me.”

The three girls gasped. Cookie’s was more like a child learning a plot twist, while Twilight and Lilac had more pain. They understood how much it meant to me to find the Heart. Darcy needed it. I needed Darcy.

“It’s like a big scavenger.” I explained. It was hard to hide my anger, so I disguised it as excitement. I showed them the note. “And this is my first clue.”

Cookie was excited, as I knew she would be. Lilac’s face dropped.

“What’s wrong, Li?” I asked, delicately.

“You promised an  us day.” She said. “How can we have Us-Day when you’re off getting the Tests and then looking for GL?”

I bit my lip, unable to look her in the eyes. I was already letting Darcy down, I couldn’t let my girls down too. “I’ll start looking tomorrow. Alright? That way we have today.”

Lilac crossed her arms over her chest. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

==DMLC==

Twilight was watching the girls in their playroom at the Centre. The purple alicorn suggested going school shopping today, then maybe getting more human clothes for Cookie. Lilac agreed, as long as we went together. I smiled tightly, fighting an urge to run and find GL myself.

I promised Lilac, and I can’t break a promise. It would leave psychological damage on my daughter, probably ruin her ability to trust anyone ever again. There. Case closed. No chasing after GL...

...alone.

Tracy was walking me to the testing room. I was following behind, excitedly trying to get her on board.

“We need to find this guy, and take him down!” I said to Tracy, moving to race around her.

Her arm shot out, blocking my path. “That was true, yesterday, before we decided to run tests.” She said, with a smug smile and a ‘I told you so’ in her voice.

It had been ages since I lasted flinched at the T word. The way Tracy said it, the images coming to my mind, almost made me shudder.

“Now, we’ll have to wait.” Tracy stated, proud. My heart was sinking. Not only that, I was getting angry at Tracy for twisting all of this. “Your mother said you were grounded, we told you we would search for the necklace once your tests-”

“But there’s only one way he could’ve gotten it.” I said, holding up the note for her to see. “He’s a traveller, or she! Whatever. They had to come into my reality, have some of my DNA or Lilac’s. This wasn’t just some LA street thug’s petty theft.”

Tracy frowned, looking on the edge of annoyance. She snatched the note out of my hand. I stared open mouthed. “Our techs will investigate. You are supposed to take the test, and get ready for school tomorrow.”

“But the Heart-”

“-is going to be found by the  _ professionals _ .” Tracy stated. “Today is the blood tests. The next few weeks we’ll have mentally, physical, and magic tests. In a month, before your birthday I checked, we’ll run the tests again for changes.”

Oh, I have never wanted to roundhouse kick Tracy in the face as much as in this moment. It only fueled my anger. I needed my family to be together and whole. My family needed Darcy, Lilac, Cookie, Bee, the Mane 7, and the other Princesses. 

No, it didn’t slip my notice that I listed Bee in there. It was a lovely idea, though I had enough on my plate for right now. It was hard to think about how much I loved Bee when I wanted to throw Tracy out a window. Who knows? Maybe she’ll land on Darcy’s grave in a weird sense of cosmic humor.

“I know you don’t think so, Your Majesty, but I’m thinking about you. My job is to make sure you’re making the right choices.” Tracy said, voice low and kind.

My eyes just looking at her pleadingly. “Yeah, but who’s definition of right?”

She frowned sympathetically. “Your parents just want what’s best for you. They know you can make good choices. They just think you need...someone to show you.”

I frowned, keeping a cold retort in my throat.  _ ‘I gave up on my parents a long time ago, and I know they never believed in me, so why should we start believing now?’ _

==DMLC==

My skin was itching where they had pricked me with needles. My back was sore from lying down on that stupid medical bed for four hours. Why did I have to stay down so long for stupid blood tests?

The lights had been turned off. My office had been redecorated again. It reminded me of  _ Corpse Bride _ , with dark blue walls and all black couches. The carpet was black, with a curved stripe to resemble a path. The coffee table between the couches had white bones for legs, as did my desk.

I pulled out my phone.

_ To Sparkle of Twilight: I’m in the office. Bored out of my mind. I’ll get the girls in 30. Cool? _

_ To Raspberry: Perfect! Cookie’s been getting antsy and Lilac finished that summer school box Tracy gave her. _

_ To Sparkle of Twilight: Need to get Cookie one too _

_ To Raspberry: She thought her’s was a toy. _

_ To Sparkle of Twilight: That’s my girl. Took only two weeks to assimilate. _

I grinned, pulling out a pair of headphones. What? No one thought I was going to actually  _ work _ after those tests, right? No, it’s gonna be MCR and Gloriana for the next half hour. 

Only two songs in, someone turned on my lights. 

Mom walked into my office like weights had been lifted from her shoulders. She smiled an annoyingly sweet teacher’s smile. “I spoke with Tracy on the way up here. She said your tests went perfectly! They’ll have the results by tonight.”

I stared flatly. She interrupted  _ This Is How I Disappear _ to tell me I was getting my results? Why the hell did Katelynn let her in? “Why didn’t you just text?”

“I wanted to come check on you.” Her smile fell slightly. “Tracy told me you traveled again. I told you that you were grounded.”

“I’ll have to go back to Equestria.” I stated, not looking up at my mother. “School starts there too, and I have to write lesson plans with Cheerilee.”

My mom was silent for a moment. “Oh, right. You’re a teacher’s assistant there.” Mom said. “Lilac must enjoy that. I know you and your brother’s did.” She joked.

I looked at her flatly. “Yeah. She does, and so does Cookie. It’ll help her transition into her new griffon body.” I said, dreading this conversation. “So I need to get back on that.”

“Honey. You need to take it easy. You just went through some testing-”

Honey, that’d be a good pet name for Bee...Storyline how was I going to explain this to him? When I went back, he was sure to notice I was dejected. My own mother noticed, and she never notices anything!

“Because you  _ believe _ it’ll help me.” I said the word with such spite that it surprised me Mom didn’t flinch back. “I’m taking the girls shopping for school supplies. Do you  _ believe _ I can handle that?”

“Of course.” She replied. Sarcasm completely flying over her head. “You’re capable of a lot more than you think.”

“You  _ believe _ that?” I said, coldly.

“Always have.” Mom said, giving me a warm motherly smile.

I huffed. ‘ _ No you haven’t’ _ .

Katelynn’s voice buzzed in from the phoneline.  _ “Morgan? I know you’re with your mom, and it’s Us Day, but someone’s here and she said it’s urgent.” _

Mom grimaced. “I don’t understand why you want a teenager doing that job.”

“It’s nice having other kids around.” I said. My thumb pressed down on the intercom button. “Katelynn with a K, if it’s Tracy or anyone connected, tell her to wait until tomorrow. My mother’s giving me updates on my ‘ _ health’ _ .” I threw a small glare her way. She was texting. 

_ “It’s...it’s Savannah Logan.” _ Katelynn said.

“Oh.” Right, the Feud. “Seth’s mom.”

_ “Yeah. Should I...?” _

As much as I wanted to, I knew it would be better to talk to her now. It gave me the excuse to kick Mom out.

“No. Send her in. I have twenty minutes before I take the girls out for Us Day.” I relented. “Besides, there’s some stuff I wanted to talk to her about anyway.”

_ “Oh. Okay. I’ll send her in.” _ Katelynn asked.

I smiled widely at Mom. “Could you step out? I believe this’ll be a royal manner.”

The schoolmarm smiled back. “I understand! I have  five meetings before tomorrow. So I’ll go.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll let her in.”

“Sounds good.”

“See you at school tomorrow?”

“I  _ believe _ you will.”

When she was out of earshot, I let out a growl in a language only Darcy could translate. I loved my mother, really I did, but any mother, biological or foster, just got on my nerves!

Sure enough, Savannah walked in. Seth was a close copy to her, now that I knew they were related. Same eyes, same hair shade, same skin tone, even the same nose. She wasn’t wearing business attire like last time, it was a nice yellow blouse and mom jeans.

“Hi Mrs. Logan.” Was my polite greeting. Savannah was “I’m sorry, but I have to make this quick. Today is family day with my kids, and this feels like pushing it.”

“You have children?” She said, looking at the photo of Lilac.

“Two, now.” I said. “Adopted a griffin almost two weeks ago. Her name’s Cookie.”

She was surprised, shaking it off. “O-Oh?”

“Yeah. She was a cat at the time, but.” I shrugged. “How can you say no to a child’s face?”

“They go to school, I imagine.” She hinted.

I quirked an eyebrow at her. “You want to know if they’re bullied as well. An underhanded way of asking about your own son.” I stated.

Savannah blinked in surprise. There wasn’t time for us to beat around the bush. My girls wanted me in twenty minutes.

“You really are smarter than they give you credit for.” Savannah said, looking at me with wide eyes.

“Thank you.” It was one of the nicest things a Traveler has said to me. “What do you want to know about Seth?”

The brunette sighed, sitting at a chair in front of my desk. 

“I thought something was wrong, when he hadn’t Traveled at twelve. He wasn’t that same sweet boy that played with his trains.” She asked. “Please. Just tell me what my son did. From one mother to another. Please.”

So, I thought about where the best way to explain this to another mother.

“It was there from the start, but I was six. You don’t pick up that stuff when you’re six. It was after I turned eight that I stopped and realized what was going on. That it finally hit me that this wasn’t how new kids were treated, it was how I was treated.”

==DMLC==

Jimmy had been a nervous wreck since last night. What had his mom been thinking, calling Tracy! Everything was going perfect! They were catching up, bonding, actually getting along. He told Morgan how to get her sister back, and she was happy.

This was his chance to ask her out. Why did things always go wrong when he was asking someone out? He thought he’d try again today. He made it to the Centre, making his way to the top floor. Jimmy hoped Morgan could see him today.

When he made it to her office, he saw people already waiting by the door. There was Katelynn, Morgan’s friend from last night, working as the secretary. Jimmy thought she was nice.

There was another teenage sitting in a lounge chair, typing away on his phone. Jimmy didn’t like him. He was dressed in a baggy orange shirt, dirty red jacket, and a cut up pair of jeans.

“Hey Jimmy.” Katelynn said brightly. “What are you doing back?”

“Just...checking up.” Jimmy said. “On Morgue.”

“She’s in a meeting with somebody.” The new permanent (no matter what Tracy said) secretary turned to the door of Morgan’s office. “I’m surprised she’s lasted this long. Mrs. S was barely in there two minutes.”

“Cool.” Jimmy said. He kept his eyes on the stranger.

Katelynn followed Jimmy’s gaze to Seth, rolling her eyes. “Oh him.”

“Haven’t seen him around before.” Jimmy said, even though he’d been there less than a month.

Katelynn stood up from her desk, reaching for her purse. “He’s a jerk.” She pulled a couple dollars out from her purse. “Hey, I’m gonna get something from the vending machine. Did you want anything?”

“I’m good.”

“And...um... by the way, did you... maybe... want to-”

Of course, Jimmy had walked towards Seth. Katelynn’s shoulders slumped.

“I should really just call him.” She said to herself. “Just call him. Morgue gave you his number. Why can’t you just call?”

She walked away, leaving the two teenager boys alone.

The thirty five year old Traveler walked over to the younger. The teenager didn’t acknowledge Jimmy. 

“Jimmy Cipes.” He introduced himself.

“Seth Logan.” He nodded towards Morgan’s office. “My mom’s in there, trying to make an stupid appeal. ‘Princess Spencer’ started some shit feud with me.”

“You’re the guy Morgue made the war with?” Jimmy asked, eyes wide.

“What?”

“Morgue told me about that.” Jimmy said. “We’re old friends. I don’t think she’s a freak, never have. She’s always just been Morgan to me.”

The bully wanted to scoff, but kept silent. It had been a weird month for him. The school freak was the soon to be Queen, she was the reborn Delilah Patterson, and her childhood friend was a Traveler too? “It’s weird.” Seth commented. All the things connecting Morgan to his world, it was a wonder she hadn’t found them sooner. “I uh, I heard about her Created-”

“Her sister.” Jimmy said, his voice clipped. “ _ Darcy _ .”

“Yeah, her.” Seth brushed off. “She had a scar in the same spot Morgan hit her head. Kinda funny.”

“A kid hitting her head is funny?” Jimmy questioned.

“What? No!” Seth said. “Just...it’s just funny that it’s the same spot. Like...fate or some shit.”

The blond boy blinked. “I’m starting to see why Morgan made that feud with you.”

Seth scoffed. “She’s all talk. She’s not gonna do anything to me.”

“Why not?” Jimmy questioned. Hell,  _ he _ wanted to do something!

“Because she’s still the little weirdo. Everyone here knows it.” Seth argued. Jimmy was looking at him like Seth was insane. “I mean, come on! Her office looked like some fairy puked on everything. I heard once she came to work wearing a pool floaty, and wore it for three days straight! She’s got photos of her with a dragon and she calls it her family! That’s  weird .”

“That’s  Morgan .” Jimmy defended. “And she loves Lilac, and Cookie. They’re her kids. It’d be weird if she  _ didn’t _ have those photos.”

Seth just stared at Jimmy for a long time. He was a bit disgusted someone could defend her like that. 

“She got  _ another _ freak?” Seth asked. “What kind of name is  _ Cookie _ ? Does she just want her kids to be bullied too?”

This time, Jimmy was the one staring in disgust. Well, and shock. He knew he should be nicer, he was probably twenty years this teen’s senior, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“You know, it’s a good thing Morgue didn’t hear you.” Jimmy said, stalking towards Katelynn’s desk. “I heard the last guy to talk about her kids like that, well, Morgue stabbed forty holes into him.”

Seth was thoroughly silenced.

Jimmy looked at the bully sideways. “You may not give a shit about Morgue, but did you really stoop down and bring her kids into it? You’re lucky right now, Seth Logan, because if I wasn’t certain Katelynn was walking back in one minute, then I would have thrown you out that window onto  _ the Created’s _ grave. Put your life in my hands, see how long before you hit the ground. I’d even take a picture, use it as a Christmas card.”

Seth would later deny this, but that idea scared him.

“Not so fun, is it?” Jimmy asked. “Then imagine how Morgue felt. She was only  _ ten _ , alright? I’d get it, if you were a jerk when you were kids because she was showing off, but being a jerk now? To an  _ orphaned girl _ ? That just makes you an asshole.”

Savannah Logan walked out of the office at that moment. There was a matching stunned look on mother and son. Morgan came running out after her, throwing her Infinity Bag over her shoulder.

“Jimmy!” Morgan cheered, a bright smile on her face. Jimmy noticed she had some tears streaks on her cheeks, which she was hastily wiping away. “Love to talk about last night. Text me later. Family Day with the girls and I’m-” She looked down at her watch. “ _ Fucking late _ !” She dashed down the hallway, passing by Katelynn.

“Oh hey Morgue-”

“LATE!” She shouted, running to the stairs.

The blonde girl laughed, looking to the Logans and Jimmy. She was a bit worried at how worried the Logans looked. She walked up to Jimmy. “Did I miss something?”

Jimmy shrugged, slipping his hands in his pockets. “Nah, just had a talk with Seth.”

At the name drop, Savannah seemed to wake up. She glared her green eyes at her son. “Seth. Time to go.”

“Uh yeah. Listen, Mom-”

“ _ Now.  _ We need to have an overdue talk _ . _ ”


	17. Chapter 17

Spike just wanted to read his comic in  _ peace _ . That wasn’t too big a thing to ask for, right? A library was a perfect place to get quiet, right?!  _ Wrong _ !

He had the newest edition of Power Ponies. It was going to be this epic showdown of Power Ponies against Mane-iac! She was going to trick ponies into having the same accident as she did, so she could have a powerful mane wielding army! It was supposed to be the best issue yet!

Only problem was that Twilight was making a ton of racket in the basement. Spike couldn’t focus when every couple minutes Twilight’s wings popped open then knocked something down. Or a spell misfired.

So Spike decided to go someplace quiet. Sugarcube Corner was out for obvious reasons. Carousel Boutique too, he’d only focus on Rarity. Spike should really consider getting a pair of headphones from Morgan’s world. He ended up choosing Whitetail Woods.

He searched it for maybe twenty minutes to find a clearing. Ponies weren’t going to have the Running of the Leaves for another two weeks. Spike walked for some twenty minutes to find a clearing. It was a little close to a cliff, but that wasn’t what made Spike nervous. 

It was the pony there already.

Thorax laughed at the comic book in his hooves. He’d been bored today, and the past month. He had noticed it a month ago, when he came by her house for a date. Thorax felt her grief like a pony feels a hurricane. Raspberry had been going through something personal. He’d tried asking her, but she always told him she was fine.

He made a stop by the bookstore. Raspberry’s house was usually filled with at least twenty books at a time, so he figured she’d like a book to pick her spirits up. Thorax thought going to the library would mean seeing Twilight, who he was naturally averse to seeing again.

Thorax ended up buying himself a comic, a new book of his favorite hero; Captain Equestria.

He went to Whitetail Woods, because who else would go to Whitetail Woods before the Running of the Leaves? He took of his disguise and got to reading.

That was an hour ago.

“I’d like to see Pierce talk his way out of  that ! Take him down Bucky!” He shouted. _ ‘My Queen, Bucky is awesome.’ _

Spike blinked again. “ _ Changeling _ !”

“Huh?” He looked up, seeing Spike holding a comic book but a terrified look on his face. Thorax looked down at his pegasus- _ OH SHIT RIGHT! HE WASN’T DISGUISED! _ “Ah!”

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changeling!” Spoke screamed again. 

Thorax just stared. This was when they said something sarcastic or witty, right? He’d seen Bucky do it a couple times. Before the changeling could say anything, Spike dashed away.

“No, wait! Come back!”

Spike screamed louder.

Thorax grunted. He had to go after the little guy now. Especially because Spike was running blindly towards a cliff face.

The changeling leapt into action just as Spike tipped over the edge. He caught the dragon by the tail. He spent so much time as a Pegasus he had forgotten that he could’ve used magic.

_ ‘Instead I have to worry about biting him with my fangs. Good job, Rax.’ _

The dragon looked up at Thorax, surprise on his face. “This is unexpected.”

Thorax lowered Spike on safer ground. “The woods are pretty messed up.” Thorax stated. He would be using a lot of mouthwash tonight. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt because of  _ me _ .”

And now Spike would run back to Princess Twilight, who would tell everypony there was a changeling, and then Starry would be asked to hunt him down and Thorax would be thrown out of town,  _ best case scenario. _

He didn’t, though. The small dragon just looked at his accidentally savior in confusion. “You...saved me?”

It wouldn’t last long, Thorax knew. Spike would turn tail and tell everyone there was an idiot changeling in Whitetail Woods. Why wouldn’t he? They weren’t friends. They hadn’t even met before today.

“It’s okay. I know you don’t wanna be friends.” Thorax sighed, accepting his fate. He started flying back towards Ponyville, wondering if Starry would take his comic. It might cheer her up, except for when she remembers her changeling coltfriend gave it to her.

“Wait!” Spike shouted. Thorax paused, hovering in the air. Did Spike want credit for his capture? It was the least the changeling could do, after nearly getting him killed. “I don’t understand. Changelings are supposed to be evil... right?”

“ _ Evil _ ?” It was a kind of harsh word, though Thorax could understand the assumption. “Oh, not me. All I’ve ever wanted is a friend.” Thorax explained.

Now though, Thorax could say he had a  _ mare _ friend. Did that count? 

“From the moment I first split my egg in the nursery hive.” He could still remember his brother, Carapace, hissing in his face. He shuddered.

Spike was listening attentively. He knew he should be telling everypony about the changeling, especially Twilight. There was a part of Spike that said listen. Thorax  _ did _ save his life, he owed him.

“I was part of the attack on Canterlot during the royal wedding, but I was supposed to attack Raspberry Stardust.”

His Mother had told him and his brothers to attack her without mercy.

“She was willing to die for you all, and for Lilac. I’d never seen true love like that!”

He could still remember being blinded by how brightly she showed loved. Thorax later wondered if his brothers had seen it, but knew better than to ask them. Raspberry was willing to tear them all apart for her friends, for Lilac more than anypony.

“And I couldn’t just steal it and feed on its love. I wanted to share it! She kicked out my tooth for my trouble.”

It took Thorax three weeks to grow it back. Yeah, changeling could regrow teeth. Not everything about them is scary!

“After that, I knew I couldn’t live with my kind anymore.” Thorax sighed. It had been easier than he thought to leave the Hive, nopony guarded any of the many holes in the walls. “I set off looking for Raspberry, but...”

“But...what?” Spike asked.

“But I can’t tell her I’m a changeling!” Thorax shouted. “She’ll get the wrong idea. She already thinks I’m a pegasus, especially because she met my  _ hue-man _ self. It’s drivin’ me crazy!”

He changed into Bumblebee, watching Spike’s eyes grow large. Spike recognized the stallion from his human self back at Canterlot High. 

“You’re that guy!” Spike gasped. His expression turned deadpan. “Raspberry’s not going to like this.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Thorax asked, taking off the pegasus disguise. “Why would Raspberry Stardust would want to date a changeling?”

Spike, however, had another idea. He knew how happy Raspberry eventually was when Twilight knew about her powers. Raspberry liked being honest with them now, liked showing them the human world.

Besides, the human Bumblebee-err,  _ Thorax _ , took it well. He accepted Raspberry for what was in her heart, and Spike had a hunch changeling Thorax would too. 

“What if I told you there was a friend of Raspberry’s who could help you explain?” Spike tried, grinning knowingly.

Thorax frowned. “If only that were true.”

“It is!” The dragon shouted to lift Thorax’s spirit. “I mean, it’s me! I’m Spike, Raspberry’s friend!” Spike cheered.

Thorax blinked, then smiled. “Oh! But I was raised by an evil queen.” He stated. Spike winced. “I’m Thorax. I can’t believe you want to help me.”

“Why? Hasn’t anypony ever just been nice to you?” Spike asked.

Thorax hissed. “Uh! S-Sorry! Genuine kindness like that kind of brings it out.” He brushed his hoof over his muzzle. “I had to go undercover in another town to try and stop it. Can’t exactly hide that hissing thing from Raspberry Stardust.” He paused, taking a deep breath. 

It had been Cicada’s idea. She explained to her idiot of a brother (her words, not his) that Raspberry Stardust, the Great Betrayer, is said to be smarter than Princess Celestia. Cicada advised (funny enough, the advice actually made Thorax hiss again) her brother to spend time in other pony towns to help him get over his nervous tick. He stayed in five pony towns for 

He looked up at Spike, with his compact changeling eyes. “Do you still wanna be my friend?”

“Of course!” Spike cheered. “And I am one hundred percent sure Raspberry’s going to understand once you tell her everything.”

==DMLC==

The note was laughing at me. Screw the fact that it was an inanimate object, I’ve seen Discord turn gravity off. Paper can laugh at you.

Tracy hadn’t noticed I took it. Shows how fucking great the Centre’s security is. Then again, it had been a month since I originally gave it to them. They hadn’t been able to find anything. If they did, they didn’t tell me about it.

Maybe they just gave the fuck up. They couldn’t have, though. Our birthday was in a week. How could I have our birthday without my twin sister? It just wasn’t right! 

If I was following the note, I would have found the guy by now. His name, his address, his favorite color, his pet, and even what clothing brand he wore at his sixth grade play. Alright, that might be an exaggeration, I’m bad at colors. Why do you think Lilac chose the colors for our houses?

I was lying on my couch in Ponyville. The red couch felt too soft against my fur. Everything here just felt too soft, too cartoon. Killjoy had hated it here at first, now I was inclined to agree. There was some bright sides to Ponyville. Lilac and Cookie started school today. My friends, people that I knew actually believed in my work, were here. Cheerilee gave me the day off, to help Cookie transition to school life.

If I went Home, Mom would remind me that I was grounded. There was a large part of me that said I should just ignore her. It was logical, I was 199 and she was 35. I didn’t live in her house, I had two children of my own, I had a well paying job. Why was I still listening to my mother’s ridiculous groundings _ which I got by trying to save someone’s life! _

...because deep down I still love Mom. I may have stopped living under her roof, but I still knew better than to just completely disregard her. She was family, even if she didn’t respect me I still owed it to her.

Besides. I’d already been grounded a month. It’ll be over before my birthday. There had only been three magic attacks since then. Mom couldn’t keep me grounded if I was actually getting better. It didn’t mean I liked it.

I let out a low sigh. It was just all hitting me at once. Mom didn’t trust me, we weren’t going to find Darcy before our birthday, and Cookie had gone off on her first day of school.  _ Commence silent crying. _

My front door swung open. Tilting my head over the couch just a tad, i saw Bumblebee standing in the doorway. He was slightly panicked, but was trying to play it off and be cool. He was muttering something under his breath that sounded vaguely like  _ speak from the heart. _ There was a comic book under his wing.

Wow, I bet I looked gorgeous.

He noticed me on the couch, becoming even more flustered than when he asked me out. “What?” He asked, laughing nervously. “Stallion can’t come see his marefriend?”

I sniffled. “N-no. I-It’s fine.”

His panicked expression faded when he heard that. 

My coltfriend trotted up to my side. He picked up a box of tissues that I had left , setting them by the couch.

Bee handed me another tissue. I wiped my tears with it, sniffling. “Thanks.”

“Where are the girls?” Bee asked, softly. He sat by me, reaching his hoof over mine.

I sniffled, smiling inwardly at the contact. “First day of school. Cheerilee said to take the day off. They’ll be out for another three hours...I think. They might go hang out with the Crusaders after.”

“Right. You told me that yesterday. Slipped my mind.” He looked over to a wall clock. “Aww. I kinda wanted to see Cookie again. That girl was so nice.”

I glanced at the comic book under his wing, blocked by his yellow feathers.

“The comics?” He acknowledged, using his wing to pull out a book I recognized as this worlds version of Captain America,  _ Captain Equestria _ . “Yeah. Bit of a comics stallion, over here. I didn’t know that had a comic section at the bookstore, and I bought...too much. I met the dragon, Spike. We talked about...ya know, just boring guy stuff. He’s a fan of  _ Thor _ . Good kid, good taste.”

I shrugged, just feeling numb. “More of an  _ Iron Stallion _ fan myself.” I admitted flatly. It helped that in my _ Iron Man  _ travel, he was family. I should really go back there sooner or later.

Bee blinked. “No way. You like Steel Stud, the Iron Stallion?  _ Genius, billionaire, playcolt, philanthropist _ ? Come on! Captain Equestria’s better than that.”

“Silver Charger’s good.” I added tiredly. I had at least remembered Steve’s name in Equestria. “I just like that Steel doesn’t take shit from anybody, and just does what he wants without being scared that everybody hates him.”

“Everybody?”

“Uh...everypony. Sorry. Long...month.” I sighed tiredly.

“Thought you’d like  _ Black Widow _ .” Bee commented. “Gotta warn ya. She’s on my Would-Date-List. If I ever meet her.” He gave me a ‘you know’ look. “Things are going down.”

I smiled fondly. Natasha was nice, I met her when she was pretending to be the secretary. Not to mention she could kick my ass, and that’s not a compliment I hand out willy nilly. Darcy could beat me into next week...oh shit I’m thinking about her again...

“I like Loki.” I admitted. Bee’s response was to smirk.  _ That was Darcy’s response too, and it was never good when we were talking about boys.  _ Though I probably shouldn’t mention I’d met the Asgardian prince two years ago. “I ever see him, things are going down.” _ And they kinda did. _

He snorted. “Did we just become that couple that copies each other’s sentences?”

I shrugged, resting my head on the couch. “Probably.” Sniffling, I used another few tissues. My sister promised me that if I ever met Loki, and she was around, she wouldn’t stop at anything to make sure I  _ ‘got it on’ _ with him. She wasn’t there though, so all that happened was intimate eye contact and deep conversation. “Just...my sister loved Black Widow.”

“Ah.” Bumblebee scratched the back of his head. “The sister you don’t want, or even like, talking about.”

I grunted an affirmative. My eyes were getting misty.

“Uh...is...is there some anniversary thing-” Bumblebee cut himself off. “Birthday. Next week.” He sat on his haunches. “I’m an idiot.”

I grunted another affirmative, sniffling. The pain didn’t soften much, though my coltfriend’s ridiculous behavior was helping. 

He snorted. “I deserved that. I am an idiot, forgetting my marefriend’s birthday. You’re gonna be 21 right?”

_ “You know what that means? Drinking all night at Frosty Mug! Fuck yeah! Come on Razzle, my boss is buying!” _

“Y-Yeah.”

_ I hate GL. _

“My sister was my best friend.” I admitted, wiping at my eyes. “I was bullied at school, all the time, since I first walked in. She...she was there, and it made me want to keep going. Being called a nothing, a weirdo, a...a  _ freak _ ...they hurt less when she was there.”

Bee kept close to me. He didn’t say anything, just waited. “The other kids called me the worst names, sometimes the teachers did too. Mom and Dad never noticed. My sister...Killjoy...she never made me feel less, and I made sure she never did either. I hung her artwork on the fridge, signed the report cards for her, Story I could say a bajillion other things I did for her.”

“And then  that falls into my lap.” I sneered, feeling more sadness and anger rush through me. “The perfect way to get her back. And low and behold, when I track down the artifact all I have to show for it is that piece of crap.” I gestured to the note. “Just a stupid note with stupid taunts and just...stupidness.”

Bumblebee looked like he was about to ask about the note, until his face lit up with understanding.

“You love her.” Bee explained, sounding surreal. “She was your rock.” I nodded, feeling more years burning in my eyes. “Mine is too.”

“R-really?” I sniffled.

“Yeah.” Bee got this goofy grin on his face. “She’s the best little sister a guy could ask for. I haven’t seen her in a while, though. Things are weird back home.”

I sniffled, wiping at my nose. I looked up at him, wanting to hear him talk.

“Yeah.” Bee added, catching on. He sat on his haunches, hoof still on mine. “I mean, ever since I was born I knew I was different than the rest of them. Then there was this… _ event _ .” He looked at me meaningfully.

If I didn’t know better, and if this was a romance movie, I would think he was saying it was because of me.

Bee sighed, a content smile on his face. “I knew I wanted something bigger, so I ran from home and Mother to get it. When I told my sister why I was leaving, she was the only pony to ever  _ understand _ what I was saying.”

“And not make it feel like she was laughing at you, or just pretending to get it.”

“Yeah!” Bee cheered. “She was totally on my side for it.”

“She always felt like the only one that would.”

“Duh.” “Hey. You’re doing that thing where you say out loud what I’m thinking, cause you’re thinking it too.”

“Hey. You’re doing that thing when you’re too smart for your own good.” I teased, still sniffling.

I could just say it. I could spit it all out right now.  _ ‘I’m a princess from another dimension and I’m really this thing called a human and my name is Morgan. My sister was too, she died saving me from my own people. I love you and want to call you my boyfriend.’ _

He read comic books. He would understand it all, right? Not right now, as perfect a moment as this was, I couldn’t put all of this trouble on him. Plus, if Tracy got her hooks into him, I had no doubt he’d run away screaming.

“You should take a nap.” Bumblebee insisted, voice reassuring. “Like, really. I bet a little sleep would fix you right up.”

The idea sounded heavenly. “Yeah...I’d like that.” I lowered my head into my hooves. My eyes suddenly felt heavier than before. “Bee?”

“Yeah Star?” His hoof was still holding mine, though I didn’t pull away.

“...love you.” I yawned.

There was a pause before he kissed my cheek. “Love you too, Star.”

I was asleep as soon as I shut my eyes.

==DMLC==

_ You had one job, idiot. You were supposed to tell everything! From the heart, like Spike said! _

Thorax just looked lovingly at Raspberry.

She liked comics. She had a crush on  _ Loki the Trickster god _ , who has been known to  _ change forms at will _ . She would like Thorax, right?

He could just say it. He could spit it all out right now. She was asleep anyway. She wouldn’t really hear. It might help Thorax get a little boost to actually tell her.

“My name is Thorax.” He stated, checking to make sure she was still asleep. “I’m a changeling.” He kneeled down, brushing a lock of her blue mane from her muzzle. “And I know ponies think we can’t, but I think I-I  _ know _ I love you.”

Thorax draped a pegasus wing over her, though he wanted to use his real wings. She smiled in her sleep, cuddling closer to him. Raspberry had only known him three weeks and she was cuddling with him.

He was going to break her heart, wasn’t he?

He felt himself starting to fall asleep. The couch was big enough for the two to sleep side by side, though it’d be a tight squeeze. Thorax quickly snuggled into Raspberry’s side, keeping a pegasus wing draped over her side. It was too late for him to stop his eyes from going dark.

==DMLC==

The loud clap of the door hitting the wall woke my up. My head shot up to attention, quickly looking for whatever threat had come into my home...

...and realizing that Bumblebee had fallen asleep beside me, with his wing over my back.

Now, as an Equestrian guest, I wasn’t completely aware of pony customs. Though it didn’t take much effort to know that draping a wing on somepony’s back was probably a pretty big show of affection.

The yellow pegasus woke up too, though he was a bit groggier than I was. He seemed to noticed how close the two of us had gotten in our sleep, turning his head to look me in the eyes.

“Mama! Mister Bee! That is a couch, not a bed!” Cookie giggled from above us.

Though, I kept staring back at Bee. He was subtly asking if this was alright. I smiled back, answering by nuzzling his cheek with mine. His blushed a bit, which in my opinion made him even cuter.

It suddenly hit me as to why Cookie flying above me wasn’t a normal thing.

“Hold on, Cookie?” I looked up at my newest daughter. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at school!”

“It was a half day.” Lilac explained. “Remember? That’s why Cheerilee-”

“-wants me in tomorrow, because that’s when she needs all the help.” I sighed, dropping my face into the couch. “I remember that. Thank you, Princess.”

My girls giggled.

Bee kept his wing over me, talking to the girls. “Don’t half days usually end at like, noon? It’s three.”

_ We slept here for three hours? _ The thought made me blush, so I kept my face buried in the couch.  _ Holy butterball turkey on a stick. I slept next to a guy for three hours. Dad is so gonna kill me when he finds out. _

“The Crusaders wanted to meet at the clubhouse-”

“I’m a Cutiemark Crusader, Mama!” Cookie cheered, lowering herself onto my back. She hugged my neck, forcing my head up.

“P _ er _ fect dear _ IE _ !” I choked. It made Cookie laugh, hugging my neck tighter. My horn glowed, lifting the griffon up into the air. I took a deep breath, airway clear. While she giggled, I lowered her back onto the carpet.

My daughter buzzed around the living room. It had taken a lot of work the past month to remind her not to crash into the picture frames. That didn’t mean she 

Bee chuckled beside me, wing holding me just a little tighter.

“Mom, why’s Mister Bumblebee on the couch with you?” Lilac asked, wary.

I blushed, trying to cover it up with  _ anything _ . “Uh. I’m-He was-We were-uh.”

“Your mom needed a hug.” Bee explained. “So I hugged her.”

Lilac looked at him dryly. It softened after a moment. She was warming up to him, thankfully. Cookie, well she had zero warm up time. She leapt onto Bee’s back. The pegasus grunted, rolling off the couch and nearly taking me with him. 

With a mischievous smile, I pushed his wing off my back. “Long live the queen.” I hissed dramatically as he fell.

My two daughters laughed loudly at the  _ Lion King _ reference. Cookie had cried when she first saw the movie, until Timon and Pumbaa came onscreen. To be honest, I think Cookie just loved how excited Lilac had been when they came on.

Bee just groaned in annoyance. “Wow. I feel so betrayed right now.” He stood up with Cookie on his back.

Smiling softly, I turned to Lilac. “So, how was school and crusading?”

Lilac shrugged. “It was okay. Babs Seed sent us. One of the members of the Cutiemark Crusader Manehattan branch got his cutiemark!”

“Sweet.” I cheered, holding my hoof out to her. Lilac gave it a quick bump. “Bet the rest of you were eager to get cutiemarks after that”

Lilac shook her head. “Scootaloo wanted to try, especially because we brought Cookie into the Crusaders, but Sweetie Belle wanted to practice her magic for Twilight Time. Then that started us arguing about what Cookie would do at Twilight Time-”

Cookie lifted her claw. “I wanna play ball!” She cheered. She dashed off to the door, coming back with a small rubber ball. She threw it into the next room, chasing after it and flying back. “See?! I’m great at this game!” The griffon repeated the process, making her sister and I giggle.

“Is it supposed to do this?” Bumblebee suddenly asked in a panicked voice.

“What?” I turned to see the note glowing bright green in his hoof. “What happened?”

“I touched it, and it started doing that.” Bee defended himself.

He threw the note my direction. I caught it on my hoof, not wanting to risk using my magic on it. The green glow was still strong, a beacon almost. 

What was happening? Did it seriously need Equestrian magic? I’d been here two days with it, why hadn’t it done anything? There wasn’t much time to think on it, all that was running through my head was that I had made more headway than Tracy and her stupid scientists. I knew if I had handled it then I would’ve done it faster.

“Mom?” Lilac asked.

“Mama, ball!” The griffon cub cheered, tossing the ball at me.

I caught the ball in magic, quickly tossing it away again.

“Gotta go to Twilight’s.” I mumbled, eyes locked onto the note in case of any change. “I’ll be back in time for dinner. Lilac, keep playing fetch with your sister. Bee, if we had a date tonight I’m gonna need a rain check.”

There. They were all sorted. I slipped the note under my wing, taking a mad run to the door.

“Mom, no wait!” Lilac called out.

I didn’t call back. This was a life or death emergency. There wasn’t any time. My sister needed me...cause something with Equestrian magic took her away. Something with bright  _ green _ Equestrian magic.


	18. Chapter 18

“Changelings!”

That was the word I shouted (more like roared) when I stormed into the library. It startled Twilight, her wings popping out from Rarity’s newest labcoat. The book in her hooves was thrown into the air, landing unceremoniously on the floor.

There was a tense air in there after I stormed in. I started angrily pacing, my angry hoofsteps making it sound like buffaloes were running around in here.

“Huh? What?” Twilight asked from her corner. “What about changelings?”

“They stole the Heart of Damballa-dammit!” I smashed my hoof on the floor, seething.

“ _ What _ ?” Twilight gasped. “But, how? They’d need-”

“A Traveller with access to my DNA, or my kids.” I snapped. I began pacing in her library, trying to work out a battle plan in my head. “But they don’t have one.”

Twilight was still confused.

“What’s more important is that the changelings have my sister’s life in their hole filled hooves.” Was my excited rant. I stated moving from bookcase to bookcase, looking for the map book. “Right now I need a map to the changeling hive. Did you organize by author or title this week?”

It caused the librarian princess only more confused. “Raspberry,  _ slow down! _ ”

I paused from my search, to stare at Twilight. The alicorn seemed frazzled. My appearance had been a bit of a surprise. I’m surprised Spike hadn’t stormed in, wondering what was going on.

With difficulty, I paused in my search. I trotted over to Twilight, until this conversation was more serious than my panicked ramblings.

“What do you mean, the changelings?” Twilight asked. She didn’t give me time to answer. “And why are you ignoring their accomplice? They have to exist! They need one to get between the dimensions, and I doubt you would take them anywhere.”

There was a pause before I answered. The scientist seemed to be pausing on her questions, just to make sure I was able to answer them. “Remember the note I told you was in Tiffany’s house?” I began.

Twilight paused before answering. Her lab coat floated away in her magic. “The one from GL?”

“Yes. Tracy’s been running tests since I gave it over, and they’ve come up with nothing.” I explained calmly. It looked easy, but I was still panicking inside. “I brought it here. Before I could run anything Bumblebee touched it. It must’ve been activated by natural Equestrian magic.”

Twilight blinked. “Which brought about the changeling magic? How can you be sure?”

“Cause it makes sense!” I shouted, sounding half crazed. “I  _ know _ Chrysalis is angry about how I ruined her plan for the Wedding. She swore vengeance, everypony heard her! The ultimate revenge is keeping my twin from me.”

The alicorn shook her head. “But how does it explain how it ended up in another  _ reality _ ? How is that possible? I read the book on Traveler’s science months ago. They’d need your DNA.”

“Not just my DNA.” I replied. My voice went cold. “Because Raspberry’s DNA would bring them here. To get back to Tiffany’s world, they’d need my  _ human  _ DNA.”

Her face lit up in understanding, finally putting together what I had on my run here. My friend agreed with me. One of her hooves lifted to rest over her heart, as something unsettling came to her mind. Her purple eyes eyed me warily, holding back the information.

“And when was the only time I’d been human in Equestria?”

Twilight’s jaw dropped in shock. We’d tried for months to find out what had happened to me that night in the woods. No one, at the Center or Canterlot, had been able to come up with an explanation.

Everyone said I should be thankful, that my life had turned out for the better for it. I disagreed. It seemed like a cruel joke. My biggest secret was exposed, my daughter had a gun on her head and she’d been treated worse than a lab rat, my friends all think I betrayed them, my family now thinks I’m a freak, my dark side took me over, and my sister came back from her hatred of me only to die in my place. Yeah, I got a fancy title and better means of taking care of my daughters, but at what cost?

It was all because of what happened in the woods. Being turned into my human self, Princess Luna catching sight, and sicking the Mane 6 on me.

“So not only do they have my sister’s life, they set us on the path that took it from her in the first place, and made my life hell.” A dark chuckle came from my throat, dark and full of a sorrow I didn’t dare show. “It’s a damn good revenge scheme, a real good one. It’s actually the kind of thing  _ She _ would’ve made.”

It sucked even more, because this was what my plan was. It was what I wanted when Chrysalis attacked the first time. I hadn’t wanted her going after anypony I cared for again, I wanted to be her target this time. Me. I wanted to be attacked, so that she would ignore everypony.

Instead she went after my family, like she did in Raspberry’s life so many years ago. Chrysalis didn’t go for my daughter, now daughter _ s _ , she didn’t go after my coltfriend who was suddenly feeling like so much more. No, the Changeling Queen attacked the one person who’s been by my side since I escaped my dark side.

“Killjoy wouldn’t want you to hurt them.” Twilight tried to calm me.

That got a disbelieving snort out of me. “Are you kidding? She’d want to help! The only reason she isn’t sitting next to me, screaming for revenge,  _ is because she’s dead! _ ” I growled. Twilight flinched, but there was a softness in her eyes. “And don’t try to tell me what my sister would want! Some people joke I’m an attack dog, but she’s who I got it from!”

“No she wouldn’t. I saw her, and she told me so. She doesn’t want you to be like that.”

There was a tense silence. My mind screeched to a standstill as I put together what she was saying. It didn’t take much time for it all to come together.

“You better start talking, Sparkle, or I swear to the Story.” I growled darkly.

It seemed to hit Twilight that she had actually told me she’d seen my dead sister, and that it wasn’t such a good idea to tell me while I was in this state. “She...it was after Discord’s first attack. She showed up in my dream, and told me to watch you. I didn’t think anything of it for a long time. It wasn’t until I met her as Darcy that I remembered. It wasn’t until she died again that I took it seriously, and I’m so sorry for that.” Twilight explained in quick fire.

I gawked. “You...you...” The words failed me. It was a bit of a let down, since I had always thought they were one of the few things that could.

“Darcy wanted what was best for you.” Twilight went on. I almost wanted to tune her out. “She told me to watch over you, to make sure you were okay.

It was too much. All that anger I let build, all the things I had realized running over here, it was to help get Darcy back. My lungs burned from holding in an rant at Twilight for keeping this from me. She was my sister, I deserved to hear about this when it happened, not seven years later.

But if I had, I knew I would’ve rejected it. I was barely letting people in. In a horrible, horrible way, Darcy’s deaths made me more open to the outside world. I would’ve taken Twilight’s dream as a chance of bringing Darcy back, and being even more heartbroken when it didn’t work. I might’ve even shut Lilac out after that.

I’d been played like a toy by the Changeling Queen. She took my sister from me, twice. The only clue I had connected her to it, and I was being told not to act on it. My heart couldn’t just ignore this kind of injustice.

“Morgan, I can’t help you get to the Hive.” The princess spoke in a voice fitting to her mentor. I listened numbly. “There’s no record of it, not enough for the invasion I know you’re planning. All we know is that it’s in the Badlands. That patch of Equestria is too big for you to search. By the time you would’ve found it, your birthday would’ve passed.”

My eyes were watering now. My voice was wet with the tears I held inside. “So help me. Please. We always talked about this birthday with us together.” The word came out broken, mixed with a wet sob.

Twilight frowned, her own pair of bright purple eyes shimmering. She pulled me in for a hug. Normally, I’d freeze up under such treatment, but now I think I needed someone else to hold me up.

My chest ached as I felt my heart succumb to the pain. I started to cry onto her shoulders. 

It was a while before I stopped. It had been an emotional day. I needed this.

“We’ll tell Tracy, and Princess Celestia about the magic.” Twilight stated, after I wiped my eyes. She gave me a tissue box. Storyline, I felt like my mother. “They can help us find the Hive. It’ll take awhile. My calculations are a bit rough, but they should be able to figure the rest out.”

I took a deep cleansing breath. “Twi...”

The purple alicorn put her hoof over my muzzle. “Morgan. I miss Darcy too, and I know I can never really understand what it’s like to lose somepony that close, but I know you. Take a break.”

My heart begged me not to do this. It needed the other half. It took everything in me to say  _ honestly _ “Okay.”

==DMLC==

Thorax was sorta used to the madhouse that was the Stardust home. It was one of the few houses that didn’t double as a business. There were only photos of them after Lilac’s 5th birthday. With Cookie, everything had been pegasi foal-proofed.

There had been a hoofful of times his marefriend had run out of the house in a mad panic as she just did. Thorax learned to roll with it. He’d been surprised she hadn’t gone off chasing whatever monster was in Ponyville (which everypony was saying they were overdue for).

He recognized that bit of magic on that note. It was familiar changeling magic. Thorax was half convinced Starry was telling Twilight he was a changeling. Except, she left him with the girls. She wouldn’t have left a changeling with her girls.

The changelings were already interfering in her life. They had Starry’s twin sister, or some weird thing connected to her sister. Thorax was actually starting to hate his kind now, at the least he understood why Starry angrily rushed out. The changelings had his sister too, if you thought about it.

So, he made sure to stay to watch Lilac and Cookie. If anypony could fight the changelings, it was a changeling.

That’s what Thorax was hoping for, at least. Far as he knew, they didn’t know why he left the Hive. They should (Queen he hoped they still did) think he was just on a really,  _ really _ long hunt. It should be a surprise if they come after Lilac and Cookie only to be kicked in the face.

If Thorax grinned a bit stupidly, it was because he was remembering when he and his marefriend met.

While he was worrying about changelings, the girls were worried about why their mother left in such a rush. Lilac had seen that kind of thing before. She’d been told her mother ran faster than ever when Mom found out Dominic had taken Lilac.

The young gryphon had no such experience. The closest she’d gotten to it was when those two boys had taken her, and Cookie saw how angry her mama was before getting the kitten back. Cookie thought that Mama must’ve had another daughter, so she went to go get her. Or maybe it was that auntie Cookie wanted to see!

Thorax was glancing out the front window, one that could catch sight of Ponyville. Starry was already gone for a little longer than he liked.

His eyes shifted over to his house, thinking he saw something moving. It shouldn’t make sense, since Thorax knew nopony should be inside it. He had barely been inside it since moving in!

He squinted, briefly going back to his compound eyes to get a better perception. Changeling eyes were made to see things at a greater distance than a pony’s.

A flash of green light shot out around the house window.

There was something going on inside his house. He recognized those lights...there were changelings in his house.

_ Shit _ , they knew.

“Girls, stay inside.” Thorax warned. His equine eyes not leaving his house, in case something else happened.

Lilac watched the changeling in disguise, while reaching for her sister’s claw. The griffin held her sister’s claw tightly. “What’s happening?” Lilac asked.

Thorax turned to Lilac and Cookie, practically tasting their fear. “Nothing.”

Lilac gave him a scared look, her blue eyes shimmering. “My mom is Raspberry Stardust. I know that look you just had. What’s happening?” She pressed, refusing to give Thorax any room for lies.

He didn’t want to leave them alone, he knew he shouldn’t. He also knew that if he was right, then everypony was in danger. Starry more than any of them, and her kids. Thorax knew he’d never forgive himself if their girls got pulled into all of this.

He’d gotten close to the two girls. He’d felt how happy it made Lilac to play with her friends, to have a sister of her own. He played fetch with Cookie. She was always excited to see him.

Then there was Starry. The mare his whole hive had sworn vengeance against. He was so in love with that mare, he’s surprised she couldn’t taste it.

It’d been two months, but these girls were family now.

“There’s just something I need to take care of.” Thorax stated, hoping it was enough for the dragonette. “I...think somepony from my family is at my house. You guys just stay here.”

“Is it ‘bout Mama?” Cookie asked in a squeak.

“No.” He answered instantly. “Yes. Uh. Maybe?” The changeling looked back to his house. “There’s just something weird happening at my house.”

The two daughters of Raspberry Stardust exchanged a look.

“You’re going to check it out.” Lilac stated, eyes half glaring at her mother’s coltfriend. “And tell us to go to Fluttershy’s or Applejack’s.” She said it in a way that said neither sister was going to do it.

“Definitely Fluttershy, heard she was having a tea party and she always has bears over for tea parties. Plus Angel has a mean right hook.” Thorax replied, not realizing Lilac’s implication. “But Applejack’s was a good idea. Starry said something about a Crusader meeting, right?”

“We’re helping.” Cookie argued, stomping her left claw on the ground. “Mama needs us!”

“Your mom  _ will _ kill all of us if you two even think about following me.”

“You’re following Mom!” Lilac argued.

“I’m going to my house, then coming right back.” Thorax argued. Why was he arguing with a ten year old, he wondered. Maybe because the ten year old was the daughter of his marefriend.

Oh, and the ten year old could set him on fire.

“You know how much your mom loves you two.” Thorax added, looking at the girls with a serious expression. He wished he’d made himself into a unicorn, so at least then he could teleport Lilac and Cookie at that burrow. “She’s already a bit...stressed today. I know she’ll feel  _ way _ better knowing you were at Fluttershy’s.”

It was under hoofed. It was fighting dirty. It made Thorax feel  _ wrong _ , playing the Mom Card.

Based on the looks he was getting, the sisters knew it too.

“Okay.” Lilac relented. She held her sister’s claw. The gryphon frowned, disappointed at missing the excitement. “We’ll go to Fluttershy’s.”

The changeling tasted her emotions. Lilac was telling the truth, though disappointed. Thorax nodded, happy they gave in.

“But we’re coming back as soon as Miss Fluttershy’s tea party is over!” Lilac warned him.

Thorax already felt he was pushing his luck. He opened the door for the sisters first. As soon as he saw them walk in the direction of Fluttershy’s, he ran home.

He only barely remembered that kicking the door in would cost more in his rent. He opened it with a quick flash of his magic.

It was to one of the oddest things the changeling had ever seen.

The most obvious thing was that it was no changeling. There was a brown earth, with a black mane, sitting on his couch. He was familiar somehow, like somepony you only catch on the corner of your eyes. Thorax’s first reaction was to knock him down with a spell, until he saw the changeling princess standing proud next to him.

“Welcome back, Thorax.” Logan greeted, blandly. “You’ve met Princess Cyanide.” He stated. He spoke down to the drone, near black eyes full of disgust.

The changeling royal lifted her nose to him, grinning to reveal her sharp fangs. She stared at him with a predator’s gaze, the kind her and her mother were known for. The drone gulped. They found him. They were going to destroy the life he’d worked so hard to create here, with Raspberry and the girls.

The mere thought of his new home, his new family, being in danger caused Thorax to hiss. All of it meant nothing. Thorax couldn’t have known who he was really fighting in his house.

The earth pony had flicked his hoof. A small an action as turning a page. It was enough, to send Thorax at the wall with a loud  _ THUD _ . It forced him to change back into his natural form. He didn’t think it was because he was hungry, if anything Thorax felt too full, the disguise was dropped more from pain and surprise. Since when could an earth pony use telekinesis?

The changeling princess suddenly looked confused. Thorax nearly took it as a challenge, until he followed Cyanide’s line of sight. He was stunned at what he saw.

His wings were fixed. The holes were filled with what looked like blue diamonds. Thorax wondered what else the day had in store for him because this wasn’t looking so great him.

“It’s not looking good for you, Thorax.” Logan spoke in a low, dangerous voice. Thorax felt himself shiver, seeing from the corner of his eyes that Cyanide was fighting it. “I need her  _ broken _ . You’re good for her, which makes it bad for business. You’re relationship with  _ Miss Stardust _ has gone on for long enough.”

Thorax hissed when he said Starry’s name. “Don’t touch her!” He warned. 

“Charming.” The Dark pony sneered. “You’ve always been a bit of a dunce. Show him.”

The changeling princess lit up her horn. Something to Thorax’s right, the direction of his dining room, lit up too. The item was brought into the living room. Thorax regretted challenging the universe for more surprises.

“Cicy.” Thorax whispered. His anger turned it into a harsh hiss.

The changeling mare had tears coming out of her compact blue eyes.

“Now you see what you’re dealing with.” Replied the mastermind. “I’m going to explain what happens to you  _ next _ .”

==DMLC==

There was a slowness in my steps. I was emotionally drained, and needed to walk to her my thoughts straight. I didn’t feel like flying, I’d only crash in this state.

Even with this, I needed to run. My daughters were in trouble, and my coltfriend was in trouble. They all had to be worried about me regardless. I’d run off in a hurry. My cheeks went a darker pink at remembering how I left my house.

There were only a few ponies on the street. Everypony was in the park right now. Was there even much of a right to be this distressed? Twilight had my back, she would make sure Celestia and Tracy herself would help. Bumblebee was walking across the street, so I had his support. Pinkie would give me a cupcake, then we could finish planning my birthday party. It would be a bit more of a downer without-

I halted in the middle of the street, looking up at the yellow pegasus casually walking down the street. He paused outside of a house, relaxing against the side of it. He looked like he impatient, like he had better uses for his time than whatever menial task he was doing.

“...Bee?”

My coltfriend looked up from his hoof at me. His expression was bordering on irritation. “Yeah?” He asked in a flat voice. It was the same voice I’d use on my mother if I was in a mood.

I blinked in surprise, because Bumblebee never used that voice with me. He was always listening attentively, and I gave him the same respect. “What the hell are you doing out here?” I asked, panic setting in my chest.

There was no immediate response. The stallion went back to looking at his hoof, eyeing it boredly. It was aggravating. “What? Can’t a stallion take a walk?”

“Not when he’s watching my daughters!” I snapped harshly.

It felt odd to speak to him so cruelly. The rational part of my mind was telling me that I gave him no reason to my running out, but that side was quickly squashed because I was dealing with changelings now. Changelings that I knew wanted me dead. Changelings that probably want him dead too.

Bumblebee made no show of actually caring about my question. “They’re fine. That dragon one is, what, six? Relax.”

“Relax!  _ Relax?! _ ”

“That’s what I said.” Bumblebee spoke in a voice like I was a dumb child. He even rolled his eyes at me!

I seethed, letting out an angry huff not unlike a bull. “How can I relax? Do you have any idea what’s out here right now? Any idea how much danger the girls are in?”

“Can’t be anything worse than last week.” Bumblebee mumbled, glancing up at the clouds. “Or the week before that, or that week before that, or the months before that.”

He had a strong point, I can admit that. It was his tone that confused me. He spoke about Lilac and Cookie being in trouble without a care, with dullness in his voice. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked, gawking at him.

“Nothing. You’re the problem, actually.” Bumblebee admitted, adding a bored glance at me.

What the hell? What was wrong with him? “Me? Bee, what are you talking about?”

“I think you’re an egomaniac, a narcissist, and a  _ know-it-all. _ ” His argument had me silenced for a minute. Weren’t some of those the same thing? “Why did I even go out with you? I was trying to get a hoof up! And I had to deal with your stupid brats! That was more than I was signing for!”

I barely held back a gasp. “Fine.” I snapped. My anger was dulled by the pain blooming in my chest. He’d always been good at seeing what I was going through. Could he do that one more time? “Go then. And don’t come back.”

Bumblebee grinned, puffing out his chest slightly as he flew off without a final goodbye. At first glance, it was a prideful action. He was proud of himself for breaking up with me.

Later, I’d remember that I had been mistaken. It wasn’t pride at leaving me. It was pride at seeing me hurting. Later, I’d learn why he didn’t look sorry for leaving me like this. I’d learn that it hadn’t been my Bee.

Unfortunately, this was the present. At that moment all I felt was the pain of realizing I nearly told my coltfriend my secret, and felt like I hardly knew him at all.

==DMLC==

Bumblebee walked up to his house. There was a light in his eyes you wouldn’t expect from the pegasus that had been dating Princess Raspberry.

He came in to see two changeling drones trapped in pods. Logan was still sitting on the couch, reading one of Thorax’s comic books. Though Logan knew Thorax was sort a few brain cells, he had to admit the drone had decent taste.

“She’s broken.” The changeling reported, his voice slightly more feminine than before. In green flames, he turned back into Princess Cyanide. “She thinks her coltfriend dumped her. You should’ve tasted the pain in her heart. It was delicious.”

Logan didn’t look up from his comic.

Cyanide blinked in surprise. She was used to the drones eating off her every word. She was a Princess, not this dirt pony’s henchlady. This piece of meat should remember that about the changelings! “Hey. I said,  _ Raspberry Stardust is broken. _ ” The changeling princess snapped. “You can go on with your  _ stupid _ little plan.”

Logan turned the page in his comic. Why should he listen to the bug? She, and her people, were just means to an end. A bunch of spare pieces in his game.

Cyanide hissed. She leapt angrily at Logan. All the earth pony had to do was flick his hoof, and Cyanide hit in the wall. Her haunches slammed into the mortar, exposing the interior of the house.

The royal didn’t dare let out a grunt of pain.

“Tell your mother I’m keeping this one.” Logan explained plainly.

His flicked his hoof (which did  _ not _ make Cyanide flinch!) towards the changeling pods. The one with Cicada inside glowed black, detaching from the goop that suspended it over the carpet. It floated over to Logan.

“You can do what you’d like with the prisoner.” He spoke with an annoyed tone. “In my opinion, I’d kill him the first chance I had.”

He gave the royal a half glance, as if his statements was an order she couldn’t understand. She was struggling on three hooves, her back hoof barely touching the ground. It had been the part to slam into the wall. It’d take a lot of changeling magic to heal her. Logan didn’t care for much of that.

The Dark pony had so much on his mind. There was so much to be done in such little time. The bugs were doing well, with their small roles. It surprised him that Thorax had advanced his wings. The drone looked surprised too, so it must have been recent. Logan couldn’t be bothered for the timeline of Thorax’s wings.

Morgan’s birthday was coming, and her party hall hadn’t been decorated. Logan had only a week to take the other decorations. Who knows what Chrysalis could do to screw it up?

“I...” Cyanide snarled angrily, though it fell into a weak hiss. “Don’t...take...”

Logan hopped off the couch, black eyes focused. Cyanide had the unlucky feeling of being studied, like a gross leaf stuck in your hoof holes. She could see, and taste the hatred burning inside Logan. There was a coldness to it, much colder than the princess had felt from even her own mother. The stallion had no love inside him, only hatred.

Cyanide wondered if the changelings had taken the wrong side.


	19. Chapter 19

There were no words that could accurately describe what it felt like to come home and find that my girls were gone. It reminded me of when Lilac ran away, if only to find myself in an empty house. 

It sent me into a panic. I ran to Fluttershy’s, hoping she could help me find the girls. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Lilac and Cookie were probably safe wherever they ended up being. That I was blowing things out of proportion. The rest of my mind wasn’t listening. They could have gone to a Crusader’s meeting, or even to Sugarcube Corner for cupcakes, but I needed to  _ see _ my girls right now.

“Fluttershy! I can’t find Lilac and-” I stopped at the living room, seeing the small griffin clapping around with Fluttershy’s birds. “-Cookie?”

The griffon smiled at me, giggling as she stopped chasing a bird. “Hey Mama!” She laughed. “I’m gonna get a bird!”

“No Cookie. Please don’t eat Fluttershy’s birds.” I scolded tiredly. My heart was racing after the near panic attack. With I looked at Lilac. “What happened, and why are you having a tea party with-...Discord?”

The draconequus was a surprise to see in this house. I hadn’t seen him in months, not since I started dating...well it’d been awhile.

“Mister Bumblebee sent us here. I think something was wrong at his house.” Lilac explained. She poured a cup of tea for a squirrel. “Then he went looking for you.” She looked up at Discord. “One lump or two?”

“Three, if you please.” Discord eagerly held out his tea saucer. Lilac added the three cubes. 

My head was buzzing with all the confusion of the past hour.

_ ‘Okay, the panic attack’s coming back.’ _ “Fluttershy, whose cutiemark did you get by mistake when Twilight’s spell failed?”

“W-What?”

“Answer the question. It’s important.”

“Pinkie Pie’s.” Fluttershy answered, looking over to Lilac and Discord in confusion. “Morgan, what is this about-”

“Correct. Discord, what movie did we watch the day you were reformed?”

“Cat in the Hat. You told me you turned Celestia into the busybody girl, and Luna into the chaotic boy in a dreamscape.” He grinned, showing off his one fang. “This is why we’re friends.”

“You’re both you. Great.” I turned my head to my daughter. “Lilac. Name anyone that works in the Centre.”

My daughter tilted her head. “Mom, what’s going on?”

“Classified. Please answer the question. There’s a method to my madness.”

“You’re kinda weirding me out...Katelynn. With a K.” Lilac answered.

“Cookie!” I grabbed the child with my magic mid-flight. She tilted her head in confusion, scratching at whatever was holding her up.

I turned her towards me. She smiled with a gasp. “Mama! Did you come to play?!”

“How did I find you at the orphanage?”

“Mama, I was at the pound!” Cookie corrected, giggling. She was spinning herself around in my magic hold. “I was a cat but now I’m a  _ cat-bird _ !”

I let out a deep breath of relief. I dropped Cookie down on a nearby chair. “Okay. You’re all you. Grown-ups, kitchen.”

“But Mom you said-” Lilac began.

“Kids. Keep up that tea party, please.”

“Tea party!” Cookie squealed. She flew down to her sister’s side, taking one of the large tea cups in her griffon claws. “I want a biscuit now!” She told Lilac.

The ten year old was giving me a pleading look. I was already guiding Fluttershy and Discord to the kitchen. “I promise, I’ll explain this later, when it’s safe. I’m freaking out right now, and I need to think. Okay? I can’t even explain it to  _ me _ .”

Lilac was still hesitant.

“Promise love you bye!” I closed the door to her kitchen, turning to the confused grown-ups left behind. “Have you heard about Bumblebee?” I asked Discord.

He harrumphed. “Yes. This mysterious coltfriend I’ve yet to meet.” He crossed his arms, turning his nose up at me before turning his back to me. “It hurts that you haven’t introduced us.”

“If I’m right, then you might not get the chance.” I replied cryptically.

Fluttershy blinked in confusion. “Has something having to Bumblebee?”

“I think so. He broke up with me on the way home.” Fluttershy gasped, while Discord’s eyes rolled to the back of his head to stare at me in surprise (or I think so, it was hard to tell without the eyebrows). “But here’s a thing I don’t get. He said they were nothing but stupid brats. Why send my daughters here, instead of leaving them home alone like he said he did?”

“It doesn’t sound like him.” Fluttershy rubbed her hoof on her chin.

“Hmm...that  _ is _ odd.” Discord relented. He turned to face me, but his eyes stayed on the back of his head. “Such a shame. Fluttershy was told me such good things him.”

“If things don’t make sense, then someone is trying to claim your title. Thought you’d be more concerned.” I pointed out to him/

Discord snapped his fingers. “Raspberry, why are so slow? We simply must tell Twilight before it’s too late!”

_ ‘Hopefully she’s still her.’ _

==DMLC==

There was no debate on who was coming with me. 

Discord had put a protective bubble around Fluttershy’s home. Any changeling is going to be hard pressed to get inside. It was actually just a giant fly trap, but it  _ looked _ like Shining Armor’s pink glowing shield. If they were stuck, they stayed until I came back to break their changelings bones for coming near my daughters.

Once that was taken care of, Discord and I made our way to the Library. It was a long run to town. Discord didn’t want to fly. He was just sitting on my head, tiny and holding my mane.

“Raspberry hi!” Spike greeted in over enthusiastic cheer. He started running beside me. I kinda ignored him in light of the bigger picture. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t uh-Bumblebee-”

“Spike. How did I find you in the human world?” I snapped instead.

“Which human world?” Spike asked. “I was stuck in your locker in your world, and in Sunset’s we were in the gym.”

“Bonus points for being a smartass.” I winked at him, using magic to lift him up onto my back.

“I wasn’t trying to be.” Spike admitted. He held onto my mane. I kept up my brisk pace towards the library.

“You lost the bonus points, dude.”

“Okay. Umm...where’s Bumblebee?” Spike asked. “Why is Discord on your-”

“Why are you asking?”

“He was going to tell you something-something  _ really _ important.” Spike explained. “He told me  _ everything _ , so I told him he should tell you!”

“He did tell me something important. But it’s less important now, because of things.” I explained.

I made a hard stop. It caused both Spike and Discord to come flying off my head. Spike fell with a cloud of dust, Discord poofed up overhead.

“Hey! Be careful with the breaks!” Discord whined. He mimed brushing off his coat. “Some of us were trying to relax.

“What do you mean he told you everything?” I asked Spike sternly.

“...we. Uh.” Spike gulped.

It made even less sense, only helping my theory. If Spike looked as happy as he did, I doubt the real Bumblebee would have wanted to break up with me.

There was another piece of the puzzle that made things so much worse. The feeling of dread was growing in my gut.

“We need to get to Twilight!” Spike shouted.

“A bit late to the party.” Discord commented.

“I think Twilight is already a changeling. Fluttershy, Lilac, and Cookie will be fine. Discord put them in a bubble thing. I spoke to Twilight about an hour ago, but I think there’s trouble.”

“You think-huh what?” Spike blinked at me in disbelief.

“They already took Celestia’s prized student?” Discord asked. “Whatever they’re planning, it’s pretty good. I’ll give them that.”

“I told her to send a letter to Celestia and Tracy. Twilight hates using her phone, she likes to send real letters. I doubt Celestia would be able to answer the phone now anyway. This time of day, she’d be dealing with the day courts. Your dragon fire is the only thing that Celestia could answer right now.” I explained.

“Yeah. That’s right.” Spike agreed.

“If Twilight really did send it, then why aren’t you already at the library panicking with her?”

There was a stretch of silence.

“We need to see Twilight.” I stated cryptically. With magic, I lifted both back onto my back and continued running to the Library.

==DMLC==

Once the three of us made it to the library, there was a weird quiet in the air. The kind that was building tension that no sane person would be in.

No one had ever claimed I was.

We all hid up on the balcony. 

The changeling posing as Twilight, and the one posing Bumblebee, were waiting in the middle of the floor by the stallion’s head. Twilight looked more stern than I had ever seen her. She was angrily pacing the floor. Bumblebee...he was just putting some black rocks down on the ground.

It was hurting my heart to see him so soon, I was forcing myself to remember he wasn’t my real coltfriend.

Rather than focusing on him, I decided to talk about the other changeling. “She’s not wearing her lab coat.” I whispered to the two boys (cause let’s face it, Discord was a boy at heart). “The one I had Rarity make for her.”

“What?” Spike stuck his head up, spying through the window. “She’s not.”

“The changelings must’ve kept it on her when she was taken.” I reasoned.

“But why not just replicated the coat on itself?” Discord asked. He leaned on his arm, resting his eagle elbow on his lion’s paw. “It looks ridiculous-and not in the fun way.”

“Maybe clothes are difficult to replicate? Or...something to do with Rarity’s magic? I don’t know. I just defeated them at their invasion, I’m not the expert on changelings.” I grunted.

“He probably just thought it was cuter than the other one!” A chirpy voice suddenly guessed.

I wasn’t even surprised. There was some distant part of me, deep inside, that saw that as a problem. “Pinkie, what are you doing here?”

“I got a new idea for your birthday party!” Pinkie cheered. She poke my back, pulling out a scrapbook. “I watched that  _ SuperWhoLock _ -”

“ _ Bit _ busy at the moment, Pinkie.” My reply was a held back growl.

“You’re not going to question her?” Discord asked. He unhappily crossed his arms over his chest.

“She showed up out of nowhere, talking about SuperWhoLock. If she’s not Pinkie, I’ll jump off the balcony.”  _ ‘Though a dark part of me wants to just to shut everything up.’ _

“Bumblebee? What’s  _ he _ doing with Twilight?” Pinkie asked. She squished her face against the window.

“We broke up. Or, at least,  _ that _ broke up with me.” Pulling her back, I glared her in the eye. “Now shh!”

She zipped her mouth shut.

Discord smiled at her. “You should come by for tea. I bet you’re  _ great _ at parties!”

Pinkie bobbed her head, making the zipper smile.

“Zips!” I ordered.

Discord zipped his lips. Pinkie shoved a hoof against Spike’s face.

The Twilight changeling was still pacing about the library. “Is it ready yet?” She snapped at the Bumblebee changeling.

“Just one more.” The Bumblebee one replied. He placed a fourth stone on the ground.

Immediately, the rocks turned out not to be rocks. They were black scarabs. The scarabs spread out their wings, shooting out green flames. The four scarabs connected their green flames to make a square. Once there was a square, the four scarabs joined together and rose up like a camera’s tripod. They top point made large fiery orb which soon showed the image of-

_ ZIP _ “Queen Chrysalis!” Pinkie gasped. I zipped her lips. She murmured in protest.

The Queen eyed her two soldiers, rolling her eyes in distaste. “Ugh. I can’t take you seriously when you look like that.”

“Oh, right.”

The changelings changed to their natural forms of insectoid black. Spike gasped beneath Pinkie’s hoof. I shoved my own hoof beside Pinkie’s. The Twilight one threw off the old lab coat.

Queen Chrysalis grinned toothily. “Much better.” She hissed. “Now report!”

“Everything here is going according to plan! I’ve replaced the princess!” The changeling boasted.

“ _ One _ of them.” The other added. He glared at the other one. “I was about to go after the Great Betrayer, your Majesty, when I was asked to come report.”

Queen Chrysalis waved a hoof in nonchalance. “No matter. With any luck, she’ll be on her way to us right now. The other scouting party is making efforts to retrieve her two brats now.” I made a noiseless growl.

“Soon, the others will have claimed the other Elements of Harmony!” One changeling assured their Queen.

Glancing over at Pinkie, I gave her a warning stare. If she  _ did _ turn out to be a changeling, I’d kick her ass. The party pony shook her head, holding up the hoof not in Spike’s mouth. She did the motions for a Pinkie Promise. It was enough for me.

“And I’ve just received word that the princesses from Canterlot have successfully been replaced as well.” Chrysalis went on. “And Princess Cyanide has captured the traitor. Everything’s going to plan perfectly!”

The three changelings started laughing.

“We thought too small last time.” Chrysalis monologued. “ _ One _ ponynapped princess wasn’t enough. With all the most beloved ponies of Equestria taken care of, nopony can stop us!”

That was all I needed to hear.

“Discord, get us out of here!” I hissed.

“Why don’t you?” Discord asked in a stage whisper.

I kicked his goat leg. “Kids in danger. Jokes come later.”  _ And fuck me that rhymed. _ My leg lifted for another kick. “Move us to Fluttershy’s now!”

He figured out that my next kick wouldn’t go to either of his legs. He snapped his claw.

==DMLC==

The draconequus teleported is back to Fluttershy’s. We weren’t taken inside the bubble, just outside of it.

I made a heavy sigh. There wasn’t time to rest now. I had to go and save Equestria, except this time without any idea of how it was going to turn out, and without any of the other Princesses.

The changelings coming after my family and friends was a fact now. There wasn’t time for my internal crisis. Yet my mind decided to have one anyway.

Pinkie murmured behind her zipper. With barely a thought, I gave her a nod. She unzipped her lips loudly. “Who’s the Great Betrayer?” Pinkie asked.

“As much as we want to say otherwise.” Discord curled around my neck like a scarf. “I think it’s our favorite Traveler princess here.”

I didn’t say anything against it.

“We should get to the Crystal Empire.” Spike suggested. “If...if the Princesses are gone, then we go to Cadence!”

“No, Chrysalis has a revenge plot. Her first move would’ve been to take Mia and Shining.” I argued, my internal panic quickly becoming external. “The Crystal Empire is down.”

There was a heavy silence in our little circle.

“We don’t have long before a changeling comes here for Fluttershy, or one to Sugarcube Corner for you, Pinkie.” I explained in a rush. “They’ll make a report that neither of you can be foalnapped. She’ll send more changelings after you. We don’t have long before then.”

“They won’t get to Fluttershy.” Discord stated strongly, still a scarf around my neck. Dare I say angrily? Cause those shudders I was feeling on my fur felt more like growls than anxious shaking. “Or those two little puffballs. I wouldn’t risk them like that.”

“And I thank you for that.” That was some weight off my shoulders.

“So we should hurry to Chrysalis’ Hive to bring everypony back!” Pinkie decided.

“How do we do that, Pinkie? We don’t even know where the Hive is.” I pointed out.

“You know whenever ponies talk about powerful magic, they always leave me out.” Discord commented. “If I weren’t so evolved, I might decide to take it personally.”

“Discord, though I’d really like to see what you evolved  _ from _ , let’s have that discussion later.” I instructed. “Does that mean you know where her hive is?”

Discord scoffed, offended. “Of course I can take you there! What kind of spirit of chaos and disharmony would I be if I couldn’t find one mesley changeling hive? Who do you think I am?”

I gave him a humoring smile. It fell flat when I turned to the dragon in our group.

“Spike, I have a feeling I won’t like this answer. What was the big important thing Bumblebee wanted to tell me?” I interrogated.

Spike winced. “I can’t. He wanted to tell you himself.”

I glared at the dragon, impatient. “Does it have anything to do with what happened today?”

“Wha? No, why would it?” Spike asked, visually sweating.

“Because things that happen in Equestria never happen by coincidence.” I reasoned. “They decided he was important enough to replace. They took ponies important to me, yeah, but it’s the ponies important to Equestria they care about. Taking my daughters would be great. Taking my...taking Bumblebee is just overkill, unless he knew something. So if he had something to tell me, it has something to do with what’s happening now. He’s a prisoner of the changelings now.”

“Well...what he told me...he said he was going to tell you earlier.” Spike explained, still not telling me anything.

“He didn’t. We just talked then fell asleep on the couch.” The memory came to me as bittersweet now. Damn that changeling! “So just tell me.”

“I can’t!” Spike shouted.

There was a long moment where I glared down at Spike. Then it came to me with great shame that I had tried to intimidate him. I was trying to scare Spike to get him to talk. This whole business was fucking with my head.

“Discord. We need to get to the Changeling Empire.” I growled.

Discord snapped his eagle claw again.


	20. Chapter 20

There was a time when my family was happy. It wasn’t peaceful, but we liked it that way.

My mind wandered back to them as Discord’s magic dropped us off at an empty cliff sight.

“I wanted to take us right to your coltfriend. There  _ is _ no coltfriend.” Discord hummed in confusion. 

“I have an idea where he might be.” Spike pointed off in the distance.

There was a giant structure, which looked a lot like you imagined a changeling hive would. Some changelings were flying wildly around the top. Those were probably the guards, or at least scouts. 

The Changeling Hive had my friends inside it. The ponies in charge of Equestria. My coltfriend, who was innocent in this whole thing. They wanted to take my daughters in there. There was also the Heart of Damballa, which was taken somewhere with changeling magic. It was no coincidence that Chrysalis decided to take everypony I loved the day I figured out changelings were behind the theft.

So as far as I was concerned, Darcy was a prisoner there as much as everypony else.

Discord’s magic had brought us this far. Which probably means there was some kind of magical barrier around the Hive, similar to the shield around Canterlot except this shield could repel magic? Changelings were idiots, but they could be taught apparently.

Seeing as we were still so far away, I tried to fire off a spell to see the limits. Maybe if I fired a large enough spell, whatever shield was in place would explode. That’s what happened to the shield in Canterlot. Granted, it took a hundred changelings nose diving on it-

NO! This was my only chance to get my family and friends back. I fired a laser spell in the direction of the Hive.

My spell floated off towards the Hive. I growled, trying another and another and another.

When nothing worked, I fell onto my plot. That was when I felt all the saddlebags on my back. Did I even want to know what he packed for me that wasn’t already in my Infinity Bag? Oh wait, that was on my other side.

“Oh, this is so strange.” Discord spoke. I could barely process it. “We’re here and that’s there, and I clearly meant for us to be there and not here.” He shrugged. He raised his lion paw. “Oh, well. If at first you don’t succeed-”

My magic could still hold his lion paw. “Maybe we should come up with a plan first?” I deadpanned.

Discord blew the magic away. “A what?”

Pinkie started waving her hoof in the air wildly. “Oh! Oh! I know what it is! It’s figuring out the best way to do something  _ before _ you actually do it!” Pinkie chirped.

“Gold star, Pinks.”

“OH! I think Discord packed me some stickers!” He had, as was revealed when Pinkie pulled out a long roll of star stickers. She stuck one on her forehead.

Discord laughed. “Oh, that’s adorable. But you see, unlike you, I can do anything.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“She has a point-” Spike began, before Discord cut him off with his lion paw.

“That’s all very nice, but really a waste of time.” Discord spoke on. “We have me. And what else could we possibly need?”

_ ‘A plan. A map of the Hive. The locations of where everypony inside is. Maybe an answer to how we get inside? Literally _ anything  _ but what you’re doing?’ _

I couldn’t get myself to say any of that. “Discord, my magic isn’t working here. You saw that. We need to think this through.” My words were forced through grit teeth.

Discord scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Maybe  _ your _ magic is failing, but not  _ mine _ .”

“Discord I’m not risking my family and friends so you can boast about-”

“Maybe you forget, Little Miss Know-It-All, they’re after  _ my _ friend too! Or did you forget about Fluttershy’s house in that protection bubble that  _ I made _ !” Discord argued.

“Of course I didn’t forget-”

“Then you of all ponies should realize why I’m doing this!” Discord interrupted me. “So I’m going to stop them from hurting Fluttershy! Like this!” He snapped his claw. Suddenly, there was a pig with pegasus wings acting as Discord’s war horse. “For Fluttershy!”

He flew off towards the Hive on his pigasus. He didn’t make it beyond the edge of the cliff before the same force that took my magic took his.

Discord flashed back to our small group. His snapped his claw, creating another pigasus.

“Stop!” I shouted, seeing where he was going with it. “We don’t know what happens to our spells when they cross the cliff.”

“Obviously they vanish.” Discord stated.

“Chrysalis must be using some really powerful spell for that.” Spike commented.

“It’s like I was saying. This isn’t magic, it’s some changeling fact we don’t know.” I stared off at the Hive, turning thoughtful. “Something in the Hive must take any source of power. What would they do? Absorb it, maybe, something? It could be a warning to them, telling them that they have intruders. Either way it’s clear that our magic is working against us.”

This was a troubling thought. Yeah, I’d been without magic before. There had been many worlds where my magic wouldn’t be as easily accepted as in others. But never in Equestria, never in a place where my magic was so useful.

Magic would have been a crucial part of getting my family back.

Pinkie trotted up by my side. “So, uh, what kind of plan were you thinking about?” Pinkie asked innocently, in the same cheery voice she’d used if talking about my birthday party.

“Something is absorbing our magic. I’m thinking it’s the important part.” I explained, carefully. “So it’d be somewhere important. At the Wedding, she kept the most powerful prisoners close to her. I have to assume she’d doing that here.”

“And if she’s not?” Spike asked, anxiously. I understood the anxiety. Twilight was in there, and Shining Armor. They were family to Spike.

“Then we deal with it.” I reasoned. “Sometimes with you ponies, plan fall apart.”

“And your’s don’t?” Discord argued.

“On a good day, no.” I replied. “On a good day, I know what the evil plan is and how to make it go away. Today I know nothing, which really sucks.”

Looking back to the Hive, I found myself remembering the last time I saw Darcy before she died. It was like her purple eyes were already staring at me, with a dirty minded smirk that was daring me to do something dangerous. Then I saw Bumblebee’s face. The way his blue eyes sparkled more than his gold ones did. The way his smile always seemed to ease me. They needed me.

Part of me loved the idea of a challenge here. Of an adventure I didn’t know the ending of. The rest of me was terrified at not knowing. 

“It’s new, and I don’t know if I like it.” I admitted.

“Don’t worry!” Pinkie gave me a quick reassuring hug. “We’ll get everypony back before you know it, Raspberry! I bet you’ll make the bestest ever plan to get in there!”

Actually...I had nothing

“Yep. Definitely got a plan.” I lied. “Let’s head on up to the Hive. So we can do it. The plan.”

“Well, that’s a terrible plan.” Discord replied. “How are we even supposed to get to the hive?”

“We walk.” Spike deadpanned. He ran over to the cliff, starting to make the walk down. 

Pinkie giggled when Discord made a loud, over dramatic groan. “I haven’t walked that far in a millennia!”

Unable to help it, I found myself smirking as I followed “Guess that explains the food gut- _ GAH _ !”

As my hoof crossed the invisible line, I had this burning pain shot up my arm. The pain distracted me from seeing I had a human arm in place of my alicorn hoof.

With a startled gasped surprise, I pulled my arm back. It changed back to the pony hoof (painfully I add).

“Pinkie, Spike, Discord. My Traveler magic isn’t working.” I spoke to them. They were already looking at me. My pained gasp had gotten their attention. “When I cross the cliff, I’m...”

“... _ human _ .”

==DMLC==

“Sorry again, Morgan.” Spike mumbled, pointedly not looking at me. 

“There wouldn’t be a reason to be sorry if you hadn’t’ve turned around!”

“You were screaming!” Argued SpIke. He was still looking forward to the Hive.

“I always scream when I change from pony to human!” 

I was lagging behind. My arms  _ (feeling so alien in this world) _ were crossed defensively over my clothed chest.

The change from pony to human was indeed painful. Unlike what the mirror portal tells you, you weren’t given clothes. So when I crossed the cliff I ended up being completely naked. I had the foresight to tell the other three about it to stop any real awkwardness.

It had worked for a second. Pinkie Pie Pinkie Promised (say  _ that _ five times fast) not to turn around. Discord had been made to promise.

Everyone except Spike. But that was because I thought he had more sense then Discord.

Spike was trying to be nice. He heard my shouts of pain, and had a brief lapse of judgment.

It was an hour ago.

Neither of us could look at the other.

His cheeks hadn’t gone back from pink to their normal purple.

I had dressed with some clothes I had Discord summoned like he summoned our bags. It was just a short sleeve raspberry pink shirt, jeans, and brown combat boots. It’d been an uncomfortably long stretch of silence while I changed.

“Well I’m still sorry!” Spike called back. “Are...are you going to tell Twilight?”

“ _ Why _ would I tell  _ Twilight _ ?!”

“...right.”

Discord groaned after five minutes of silence. I groaned, feeling my eyes roll back in my head. “Oh, I don’t know how any of you manage not being able to disappear and reappear whenever you want!”

“Well, I, for one, definitely miss you being able to disappear!” Spike shouted at him.

“Give Discord a break. None of us knew we weren’t going to be able to use magic. Or that I’d be human. It’s hard on all of us.” I tried to keep peace. The last thing I needed was those two starting a fight, then I’d get involved and they would both be dead.

“How does it feel to be human right now?” Pinkie was hopping beside me.

“It’s weird, because you’re looking up at me and I’m used to be on your level.” My human form was 5’10 (probably close to 5’11), while Raspberry was 4’8. Even for ponies, I was just a bit above average height. “It’s...mind boggling to be taller than you.”

“Yeah. It’s crazy for me too!” Pinkie cheered. “Cause you’re almost as tall as Discord! But you’re not taller than the Princess! Do you think you’ll be taller or shorter than the Princess?”

“Taller than her eyes, shorter than her horn.” I answered immediately.

“What about Princess Luna?”

“Maybe same height.” I’ll give Pinkie this, the questions were getting my mind off the changelings, and the horrible implications of my changing to my human form.

Pinkie closed her eyes, still hopping. It was a miracle she didn’t trip over her own hooves. “Hmm...I can see it.” She mused. She popped her eyes open at me, smiling toothily.

It was impossible not to smile with her.

“If we get separated, it might make sense to have a way to make sure we are who we say we are.” I suddenly realized. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Oh! Like a secret code!” Discord replied sarcastically. I gave him a deadpan stare, waiting for him to be done. “How about if I say ‘we are’ and you say ‘doomed’? Or you say ‘rescue’ and I say-”

He tripped. Over a  _ rock _ .

In this barren wasteland.

Talk about comedic relief. “How about if we say  _ ‘klutzy’ _ and you say  _ ‘draconequus’ _ ?” I teased easily. “Cause, you know, we’d be the only ones who get the joke.”

“ _ ‘Klutzy draconequus’ _ . Works for me.” Pinkie giggled.

Spike too. “I’ll definitely remember it.”

Discord was giving us a stink eye the rest of the walk. It made the whole thing funnier, to be honest.

==DMLC==

Unsurprisingly, we made it past the guards. They hadn’t moved from their posts for anything. They were dedicated, I’ll give them that.

This place was  _ huge _ . Making our way through would be difficult. I was an experienced Traveller, not a damn space archeologist! I don’t know a thing about the lands of an alien culture. Still, this was the only way to get everypony back safely then it would have to be done.

I kept myself focused on the task. My mind wanted to wander, to think about what Bumblebee thought about everything, if Chrysalis was somewhere here (twirling an invisible evil mustache) plotting my death.

Then came thinking about my now human self. This, plus the theft of the Heart of Damballa, left only one logical conclusion. A Traveller is helping Chrysalis. 

But which one?

There was no short list of Traveller enemies for me. A lot of people didn’t like me for tasking the job at Princess, taking away the titles and powers of the Presidents. They disliked taking orders from a sixteen year old American. They didn’t believe my claim to the throne was decent enough. I don’t know if any of them would go this far, or who would have access.

That narrowed it down to someone at the Centre. My people.

“Uh. Raspberry?” Pinkie’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Yeah Pinkie?”

“Where’d the way out go?”

The others turned to where Spike was pointing. Turns out that our door had vanished back into the wall. I noticed some other holes in the walls that hadn’t been there before.

“The Hive shifts too, like the changelings.” I sighed at the unconfirmed. “And I thought it was annoying that Discord’s house could do that.”

Discord gasped in mock offense. “You said you liked my house!”

“I do. It’s just different because I can tell your hallways apart.” This apparently was even more offense to Discord. “This place is total chaos!”

“It’s  _ decent _ chaos, wouldn’t call total.” The draconequus crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his goat head away from me.

There was growling noise. There was a good chance it was coming from me.

“How are we going to find everypony?” Spike asked, cutting between the argument before it could happen.

“Back at the wedding, Chrysalis kept all the important hostages close to her.” I explained, glaring at Discord. “She’s a narcissist. She needs to build her own self worth. She’d need to see her victory. The princesses, Twilight, and Bumblebee would be in there.”

“And just how do we get there, smarty pants?” Discord countered.

“The same way I did last time.” I stated. “Follow the changelings.”

==DMLC==

The changelings, though not insects, had a lot of bug-like instincts. The Queen would be in the middle of the Hive. It was all a matter of walking in the opposite direction of where changelings were flying from.

The guards were posted at the door. The odds were that these six were much better than the ones outside the Hive. That is,  _ if _ this was the way to the throne room.

“Now what do we do?” Pinkie whispered in a dramatic voice.

“We...go in.” I answered simply. That was all I needed. I’m sure I can find the others in there.

“Just...go in?” Discord repeated. “That’s it?”

“You got a better plan, Dipshit?” I snarled. “I don’t hear  _ you _ making any plans!”

“Even if we wanted to, there’s no way past the guards. We’ll be spotted for sure.” Spike pointed out.

“Stop helping!” I snapped at him. Spike flinched at my cold tone. It made me feel awful. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m sorry. Just...stressed.”

Spike nodded. “I am too, Raspberry. We know you’re worried about Lilac and Cookie.” The dragon assured. It was a saving grace he didn’t mention Bumblebee. “And I’m worried about Twilight, and Shining Armor.”

Pinkie joined in on this pity party. “I’m worried about the girls. And the Princesses.”

“Not that I  _ ever _ worry about these silly things.” Discord brushed off. That was just the kind of comment from him that made me feel better. “But...I’m worried about them getting to Fluttershy...and, Lilac and Cookie.” Pinkie, Spike, and me looked at Discord in surprise. The draconequus himself looked surprise. “ _ Yes _ , I know. I can’t help it. They just don’t let up! They...grow on you.”

“I know. Why do you think I adopted them?” Leaning my back against the rock, I thought about the first day I met those two. Then, the day I met Darcy. That afternoon in the alleyway with Bumblebee. “People in my family don’t really let themselves be ignored.” I twirled back to the guards at the door. “Now it’s time to get them back.”

Hesitantly, I looked to the party pony and chaos god. “I’m asking a lot, but I’m drawing a blank...any ideas?”

They looked happy to be asked.

“I didn’t pack my party cannon.” Pinkie admitted. Not that shocking since Discord packed for us. 

“Normally,  _ I’m _ the most distracting thing I can think of, but without magic-” Discord began.

My human hand reached up to his shoulder. He turned his horse head down to me in confusion. “Thank you for volunteering, tribute.”

My draconequus friend gave me a long suffering eye roll.

==DMLC==

_ ‘He didn’t pack the party cannon, but he packed a microphone?’ _

This was the only doubt I let myself have as Discord stood in front of the changeling guards.

Pinkie, Spike, and me were waiting on the sidelines, behind some of the rocks closer to the door. Discord was supposed to distract them, then we’d run inside. With any luck, Chrysalis would be there. 

He tapped the microphone with his claw. “Hello, changelings and changelettes!”

I smacked my forehead. It was a lot less painful than when I had a horn. “He’s gonna get us killed.”

“You sent him out.” Spike reminded me.

“Yeah and he’ll kill us for that.”

“Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are that I’m here!” Discord laughed. The changelings watched him in confusion. “When I heard that I’d be playing for a bunch of changelings, I was beside myself! Then I realized, it was just one of you.” He joked.

Off in the distance, you could hear a rimshot and the sound of a human head smacking a changeling rock.

The changelings snarled. They started to move in on Discord. 

He laughed awkwardly. “But, seriously, this isn’t the toughest crowd I’ve ever been in front of. But it’s definitely the easiest to bug!” Even Pinkie grimaced at that one. “‘To bug’? Is this thing on?”

They lost their confusion.

The squadron  _ snarled  _ at Discord.

The three of us snuck in. My fingers could slip in the small cracks of the door. The sounds of changeling growling was covering the noise of the door moving. 

“Well, if  _ you _ think that  _ you _ can do any better, be my guest!” Discord challenged the squadron.

They chased after him.

Spike watched them fly off. “It is absolutely ridiculous that  _ that _ worked.”

“Don’t look a gift draconequus in the mouth.” I reminded, looking off at our new path. “Besides, I got this feeling it’ll only get  _ more _ ridiculous from here.”

==DMLC==

Our little ragtag team stopped halfway through the hall. We had to wait for Discord to lose the guards, and come back.

_ No creature left behind today _ .

“Sorry for saying this, guys. We just can’t wait for Discord. Between seeing him, and no doubt they noticed Fluttershy’s house by now, the castle will know we’re coming. It’ll be crawling with guards soon.” I decided.

“But we need him! We can’t do it without Discord!” Pinkie reminded. “When we get the others, and your magic, he could take on the entire changeling army by  _ sneezing _ if he wanted to! It’d be  _ gross _ , but he’d probably make his sneeze into confetti!”

“He’s probably already been captured!” Spike pointed out.

There was the sound of rocks moving. “Hello?” The three of us cowered deeper on our hiding spot. “Fellow rescuers?”

I looked to Pinkie and Spike. They were shaking in fear. There was no chance I was letting them be in more danger than they already were.

Over my shoulder, I called out the password. “Klutzy!”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah.” He nervously chuckled. “I-I can be klutzy.”

Discord would have rolled his eyes at the joke, grumbling how unfair a password it was. Before saying  _ ‘draconequus’ _ .

The other two seemed to catch on.

I gave them small assuring nods. Staying hidden by the rocks, I continued playing along. “We’re running out of time. We need to find the throne room _ fast _ .”

“Ooh! I heard some of the changelings who were chasing me say that they know where it is!” The changeling cheered.

“Oh  _ really _ ?” I snarked.

“Yes! Now come out, and follow me!”

“That’s not Discord, right?” I whispered.

“Uh-huh.” Spike and Pinkie murmured.

Still, we had no real choice but to follow behind him.

Pinkie and Spike walked out of our hiding spot first. I was hesitant. An advantage we had was that the changelings didn’t know I was here as myself. What would it mean if I walked out to them, showing off how weak I was right now.

_ For my daughters. _

_ For Darcy. _

_ For Bee. _

Taking an assuring breath, I slowly walked out from behind the rocks. The changeling disguised as Discord looked surprised for a split second.

“Come on.” I ordered, holding my Bag strap tightly. It was hard to make myself walk past the changeling. “Who knows how long we have until Chrysalis finds us.”

The changeling smiled. It reminded me of when Discord had tried taking over Equestria when we met. “Right. We shouldn’t leave anything to chance!”

The two of us exchanged a long challenging stare. It was my that looked away first.

_ ‘Discord...please be okay.’ _

==DMLC==

It hadn’t been a long walk. It was just too long a silence for letting my mind wonder what else was going wrong.

Discord was captured, and we needed him! What if the shield around Fluttershy’s house had fallen? Had changelings taken my daughters and Fluttershy? Had my friends been hurt? What about Darcy? Was the Heart of Damballa even in here? Had Chrysalis somehow smashed it? Which of my people betrayed me?

My mind was going everywhere and nowhere. It was a dangerous place for my head to be.

“This way! We’re almost there!” The changeling cheered. He stood between two tunnels, taking the one on the left. 

“We should definitely go right.” I reasoned. “He’s not even trying to hide that he’s leading us to a swarm waiting to attack.”

Spike sighed, suddenly. The kind of sigh you make you when have an idea that you know you  _ have _ to have. I don’t like when other people make that sigh. It was  _ mine _ , dammit. “Okay, we can handle it. Morgan, just get ready to run into the other tunnel.”

“Spikey Wikey and I can come up with something super fly!” Pinkie cheered. Her hoof wrapped around Spike’s back, pulling him close.

“Wait,  _ what.  _ Spike, Pinkie, you can’t!” I hissed. “I won’t know what to do! We’ve already lost Discord; I can’t lose you guys too!  _ At the same time! _ Without my knowledge, I can’t promise you’ll come back-”

“Morgan.” Spike interrupted me.

“You got us this far with just Discord’s personality, and some quick thinking. You don’t need that future know-how to figure out what to do next. You helped Twilight in that other world get her confidence, just have that same faith in yourself.” Spike held my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Listen to your friends.”

My eyes watered at that. “How can I tell Twilight that I lost  _ all  _ of you?”

“You aren’t losing us.” Pinkie assured. “You’ll get us back, everypony too!”

“You too  _ stink _ .” My bottom lip was shaking. I can’t do this alone...not now. Not when it felt like everything around me was falling apart. Not when my family is at stake. Not when I can’t get the voice of that changeling wearing Bee’s face out of my head. 

My friends only smiled. “We’re friends with you, of course we do.” Spike snarked.

“You stink _ twice _ .”

Regardless, Spike and Pinkie followed the changeling.

“Hey, Discord! Want to see the new party game I’ve been working on?” Pinkie Pie asked while pulling out a blindfold. Before the changeling could argue, Pinkie tied it around his eyes. She stayed on his shoulders, holding the fold against his face. “I call it the _ ‘Pin the Blindfold on the Changeling’ _ !”

The changeling growled. He tried to take off the blindfold. Pinkie wasn’t letting it go.

“ _ Run!” _ Spike shouted at me while changelings came down from above..

Despite my better judgement, I did.

==DMLC==

Running for my life was nothing new.

Running  _ away _ from the people I was suppose to protect,  _ that _ was new. 

The thought of leaving them all behind, of not even worrying about Discord being hurt when I sent him to the guards, or leaving Pinkie and Spike alone against Merciful Storyline knows how many changelings.

I should have  _ known _ not to bring them. I should have sent them to stay with Fluttershy and my girls. They would be a bit safer in her house! What had I been thinking?

Easy answer, I wasn’t. I was too busy thinking about myself. Thinking about  _ my _ problems. Time to make up for them. It had always been known that Chrysalis would take revenge on me, I’d just thought I’d see it on TV first, to give me some headway.

Fate’s never been on my side in shit like this.

Finding the throne one was easy in my panicked state. The throne room was the brightest thing in here. The green glow of the hall was leading me like a depressed moth to a flame.

The room was huge. The real eyesore was the throne, which I thought was too similar to the Iron Throne to be funny.

Something was dripping on my head. My hair stood up on my neck.

_ Don’t look up. Don’t look up. Be the self aware girl in the horror flick. You’re not gonna like what you see. Do. Not. Look. Up. _

Horrible as it sounds, it was the goop getting in my hair that made me cave.

It was Discord, trapped in the same pod Princess Celestia had been placed during the Canterlot Wedding.

_ Everypony _ was in a pod. The Princesses, Shining Armor, Spike, the Mane 6. There was one shell I couldn’t see inside, but I could see the faint outline of a pony. The hair on my neck hadn’t settled at all. Some of them would open their eyes for the tiniest of seconds, closing them as if fighting to stay awake and losing. It was a small grace that I didn’t see Fluttershy, or my girls.

But it scared me too. Because just because they weren’t there, didn’t mean they weren’t on their way.

The absence of Bumblebee, though, that surprised me. Why wasn’t he up there? If I had the timing right, he had been taken with everypony else. Where was he?

As I searched the pods for him, I found something  _ much _ more troubling, and familiar.

The Heart of Damballa was inside one of the pods.

My heart wasn’t sure if it should burst out of my chest in joy, or fall into my stomach in despair.  _ ‘She does have it...guess that means I really was betrayed.’ _

“One little non-pony all by herself.” Chrysalis laughed, from somewhere. “Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?”

I glared up at the direction of her throne. “It would be easier to believe you if I could see your face. What, too scared to face me?” I challenged.

She came out from behind two of the pods. There was the awful cracking noise that I had to guess was coming from her. “Oh my Storyline. Please stop that cracking noise. It was disgusting!”

The Queen grinned, one that I had seen on villains everywhere. It showed off her monstrous fangs, which glinted in the light. Her harlequin eyes stared at me with such malice that I could almost see it in the air.

The changeling queen came over towards me. The buzzing of her hooves echoing in the large throne room.

“It seems, Betrayer, that I finally have you where I want you.”

I didn’t give her a witty retort. My life was over anyway. Chrysalis took my only hope of getting Darcy back away. What was there to fight, at this point?

“Oh?” She spoke in a condescending voice. “What’s wrong? Please tell me. I wouldn’t want for you to be  _ uncomfortable _ . One _ Queen  _ to another.” She taunted.

Her changeling drones laughed around me. I didn’t look away from the Queen.

She was still looking my human body over. “Hmm. Still as  _ disgusting _ as the last time I saw it.” For her sake, I lifted my eyebrow. “Surprised? Yes. One of your  _ ‘subjects’ _ came to me. He was all to eager to tell me about who you were. He warned me you were the most  _ ruthless _ creature he’d ever seen.”

“And you still let me kick your ass at Canterlot.” I recalled, almost smugly.

“ _ Yes _ . My mistake.” She narrowed her eyes, coming closer to myself. “I won’t be making it again.”

“If you say.” I replied, not letting my lips curl up.

She sneered at me. “Still so arrogant. And clearly, that _ other  _ traitor revealed to you the secret of my throne.”

_ ‘Other traitor?’ _ It...was actually a surprise. I didn’t blink, though. She was always one to brag. She’d tell me who this other traitor was. Who could it have been? Maybe the other pony in that pod, the one I couldn’t see?

The Queen laughed darkly, albeit with a nervous twitch in her eye. “That my throne collects the magics of those who invade my kingdom?”

“...yes he did.” I lied. “So, please, uh. Feel free to say  _ more _ , since I already know.”

Chrysalis raised her nose, arrogant. “I can’t have powerful ponies- or whatever your disgusting species is- using their abilities against me. Even  _ with _ your rather embarrassing little rescue attempt, everything has gone according to my plan.”

_ ‘I want to say that explains how easy it was to get inside, but even I know you’re not that smart.’ _ “What plan? Why did you do all this?!”

“So I could feed, of course!” She boasted. “By replacing the most beloved figures in Equestria, my drones will be able to store all the love meant for them and return it here to me. Everypony will do as  _ I  _ command, and my subjects and I will feed on their love for generations!” She finished with a flourish.

Her changelings cheered loudly. It was more alike to hissing then shouting. I’d honestly prefer pony shouting to this collective hissing.

Chrysalis continued to laugh. “To think, our people called you the Great Betrayer. Yet here you are, traitors all around you!”

“Then from one Queen to another, tell me who he is.”

“What would be the point? You’ll be dead before you can do anything about it.”

“Then bring him out so you can kill us both. Two birds, one stone, all that jazz.”

“So eager for an execution.”

“Your’s more than mine. I’ll make do.”

The banter was helping Chrysalis’ ego. “No wonder he is so obsessed with you.”

I narrowed my eyes on her.

“But you’re right, I  _ should _ execute you and him.” Chrysalis grinned darkly. “You  _ deserve  _ to be together when I kill you.”

“The one in that other pod?” I motioned up to the pod that I couldn’t see through.

Chrysalis sneered. She moved up closer to my face. Her pointed nose was close to poking at my eye. “No. That is none of your concern.” She hissed in a warning. With her peace made, she pulled away. “As luck would have it, your traitor has just delivered  _ my _ traitor. Here he is now.”

The changelings behind me were hissing again. It took me a moment to realize they were laughing. They were laughing at whoever

It was a mistake, I thought later, to look back.

There was a yellow pegasus being guided in. He was being stalked by two changeling guards, with the blue shell helmets. I let out a soft gasp.

“No. No. Let Bumblebee go!” I demanded, turning to glare at Chrysalis.

“Starry?” Bee asked in surprise. He flinched, which made the changeling guards around him hiss in warning. “Starry, is that  _ you _ ?”

Chrysalis was laughing cruelly behind me.

_ ‘We’re surrounded by changelings. What would be the point of disguising a changeling as him now?’ _

_ “And I’ve just received word that the princesses from Canterlot have successfully been replaced as well.” Chrysalis went on. “And Princess Cyanide has captured the traitor. Everything’s going to plan perfectly!” _

_ “And clearly, that other traitor revealed to you the secret of my throne.” _

_ “He was going to tell you something-something  _ really _ important.” Spike explained. “He told me  _ everything _ , so I told him he should tell you!” _

_ ‘She said she was bringing the other traitor.’ _

It became heartbreakingly clear.

“You’re a  _ changeling _ ?” I asked, hurt.

The changeling that _ was _ my coltfriend’s eyes watered. It hurt to see he was proving me right.

“You’re a changeling and you called yourself  _ Bumblebee _ ?”

It was the first thing that stood out. It was either I focus on  _ that _ , or I focus on  _ the rest _ .

Chrysalis laughed behind us. 

The guards shoved Bumblebee closer to me. Slowly, I felt myself fading from heartbreak to a different sort of emotion.

“Ah. So touching when two lovebirds can _ reconnect _ .” Chrysalis mocked us. Her horn lit up bright green.

Bumblebee and I gasped. We didn’t even have time to flinch away when Chrysalis fired the spell at my coltfriend.

He changed. The yellow coat vanished. The black hair shrunk. The feathers burned away. It was replaced with hole filled chitin, a short fin on his head, and sparkling blue wings.

I stared at him in shock.

“Great Betrayer, you know  _ Thorax _ .” She taunted. “Thorax. Meet the Great Betrayer, or to her people,  _ Queen.” _

I had to look away from him, glaring down at my sneakers.

The changelings all made their hissing laughter again. 

“You were so  _ close _ to escaping us, Thorax.” Chrysalis went on. “My scouts nearly captured you at the Betrayer’s home. We couldn’t find you  _ or _ her brats.”

Okay now they were all _ dead. _

“You’re still a huge idiot.” I snarled at Chrysalis.

She growled at me. It was long enough for me to swing my Bag over my shoulder, using it as a weapon to bash Chrysalis on the head.

The Bag was a lot heavier than people thought. The Queen was thrown back to the ground. Her drones hissed in anger. Many went over to her side, to see if she was alright. A good twenty stayed behind to fight us.

By instinct, I dropped down to swing my leg out. The movement brought the changeling running at me to his knees. Getting back up, I knocked more changelings to the wall with my Bag. 

Before anyone else could get close, I took hold of...his changeling ear.

“Come on!” I shouted to the changeling that had been my coltfriend. I made a mad dash back the way I came.

He followed behind me in a panicked rush.

_ ‘I’m coming back for you _ .’ I promised them.  _ ‘I’m coming back for all of you and I will make her pay.’ _


	21. Chapter 21

The changeling and I ran down a lot of hallways. Most of them closed halfway down, others changed before I could climb through the opening. Eventually, the changeling and I stopped.

I tried to catch my breath. Though I was in Equestria, this place was still a black building in the middle of a dead desert. It was  _ hot _ . I’d just been running for my life, my friends all trapped in goo pods, my children and last remaining friend were not long for it if Chrysalis was right.

I was  _ tired _ .

This whole day was just  _ exhausting _ me. Physically, and emotionally. This wasn’t how I planned my night. Or my week. Or my month. To be fair, everything just fell apart after the GL thing at Tiffany’s.

It was a small cove we had landed ourselves in. Barely bigger than a broom closet back Home. The room had pitch black walls, the few walkways letting in the light. It was enough to show the changeling. He was standing off by the walkway hole, his body pressed against the wall as he panted.

Now that we had slowed, I let myself get a look at him. He looked the same as the other drones from the Wedding. The only real difference was the sparkling wings he had. His eyes were the same blue his pegasus form had, the kind he  _ said _ he covered with contacts. Story, how  _ stupid _ I must have looked to him? To not be able to see it?

If I wasn’t so tired, I might have hit myself. There was a wall behind my head which served the purpose of smacking the back of my head.

Across the small room, the changeling that was ( _ used to be? _ ) my coltfriend lifted his head to look at me.

“Chrysalis said..”  _ You were a traitor. That we both were. That you were obsessed with me. That she was looking for my daughters.  _ “...her throne was a power source.” I panted. “What...what did she mean?”

The changeling was still huffing. “It’s...made of an ancient dark magic stone... that soaks up the outside magic... the same way changelings soak up love. It’s how... she keeps the Hive safe.

“So...it  _ does _ hold all the magic?”

“Yeah.” He huffed, finally catching his breath. “Your magic doesn’t work because Chrysalis has a throne made of dark stone. It absorbs magic like changelings absorb love.” The changeling explained. “That’s why whatever magic you were using to disguise yourself fell through.”

“It’s not magic, it’s biology.” (_Well magic biology, but I’m not explaining that to you_) “Thought _you_ would understand that much.”

“I do understand the difference,  _ Raspberry _ .” He snapped off the name like some new Equestrian swear word. Or maybe it was a changeling one.

“ _ My name isn’t Raspberry _ !” I snapped. The changeling blinked at me. “It’s  _ really weird _ for you to be shouting a fruit at me!”

The changeling was silent for a long time. “...you know mine.”

“Yeah. You’re  _ Thorax _ .” I quoted Chrysalis. “The  _ traitor _ . Just like me, huh  _ Bumblebee _ ?” None of you may believe this, but I wanted to mock him to the ends of time for that stupid name he picked. Even if we somehow made it out of this alive, I wanted to put this one whatever gravestone he would get. 

“It would’ve been my hue-mans name too.” Reminded the changeling with hiss.

I scoffed.  _ His _ human? That sounded ridiculous.  _ Because a deep part of me hated he was calling  _ anyone _ but  _ me _ ‘his human’. I was the only human he’s ever met. That title is  _ mine _ ! No one else’s.  _ But that would be unreasonable. 

“What? Remembering that you met my other dimensional self and  _ still  _ didn’t know who I was?  _ What _ I was?”

I didn’t answer. Mature of me, I know, but when arguing with a _ (sort of) _ ex  _ all is fair. _

There was a green flash beside me. My first thought was that we had been spotted, that the green light was a spell about to hit me in the side. If only it had been. When my head turned to the sound, I saw  _ Bumblebee the human _ standing there. He was wearing that same tux from the Fall Formal. He had Thorax’s sparkling blue eyes. For a moment I stared in shock.

Instead of that beaming but resigned look he had given me as I said goodbye, his eyes was the emotion of calm before the storm.

Not going to lie. My heart ached when I realized  _ I  _ had caused that look again.

“Or maybe you just figured out which one you liked more.” Thorax snapped. I didn’t say anything, too surprised at the sudden anger on Thorax. “What? Like  _ this _ better than  _ the insect _ ?”

He grabbed my arms to pull me in for a fierce kiss.

It was different than I’d seen other humans kiss. Humans would cup your face. They would caress you with thumbs. They would be brushing back hair behind your ear. In the movies, humans would pull you against their chest and wrap you up in their arms. Or they would push you up against the wall, high enough for you to wrap your legs around their waist.

This was different than how Bee kissed me. He kissed me with some kind of shy confidence. Bee knew he could kiss me, that I always welcomed his kiss, but he would be shy in case this was the time I’d say no. Looking back, maybe Bee had felt for my emotions before. Maybe he’d worried that I was so closed off I’d brush away his love.

_ This  _ was neither of those.

Thorax wasn’t shy now. His hands were confused, unsure of their own uses. They curled and uncurled around my arms. He was squeezing to tight, then not at all. His head was tilted one way before moving to the other, as if choosing which direction he preferred. He pushed his new humans lips against mine not taking any questions. There was some hesitance as he tried out the lips. He pressed them hard enough to bruise against my own. His tongue snaked out soon enough, trying for purchase in my mouth. Like I always did with him, I let him in.

I had never kissed Bee as a human before. Never with the truth laid out before us, never so openly. It was what I’d been craving to do since I first realized I was in love with him. With that thought I pushed my every affection in this kiss. My hands grabbed hold of the tux ( _ which gave me pause. Could they change clothes? Then why wasn’t the Twilight changeling wearing the right labcoat? Was this just a thing when changing into a human? _ ) to keep him against him

But as much love I poured out, Thorax pushed out  _ anger _ and  _ hurt _ .

I slapped him off.

That wasn’t what I wanted. Angry kissing, well Darcy had talked a big game out of them only for me to realize  _ they were shit _ .

“You _ ever _ play with my emotions like again, and I’ll hit you so hard your carapace  _ stays _ red.” I warned, pointing a raised finger at his red cheek. 

Thorax scoffed. He flared back to his changeling self. His blue compound eyes, the same blue as his pegasus ones, were avoiding me. The wings on his back still glittered against what little light we had. His shoulders sagged a bit. His ears were flat on his head. It didn’t take changeling magic to know he was actually sorry.

I didn’t want that, not on his face. 

“Do you know why I’m so angry right now?” Growled me, words full of bite and hurt.

He didn’t look up from the ground.

“You want to know _ why  _ I didn’t trust you with this? This, my biggest secret? The one I didn’t tell my own _ parents _ until a few months ago? I trust people, again and again, only for them to spit it in my face. I trusted my classmates, they threw me down the stairs. I trusted my sister, she tried to throw me off a rollercoaster. I trust ponies, and they break into my house and tell my daughter I’m a liar. I trusted Dominic Chamberlin  _ and he killed my sister.” _

There was a long pause before Thorax said “And what, I’m no better?”

“I’m angry because I still trust you.  _ You _ , not the other one.” I revealed. Thorax looked up at me in disbelief. “Because you’re  _ my coltfriend _ . And it’s  _ killing me _ to doubt you like this.”

Thorax actually looked surprised at that. Surprised...and hopeful. “You do?”

“And I can’t even be angry that you didn’t tell me, because I didn’t tell you about this-” I gestured to my human body “I was scared. I ended up telling the other Bumble-the other  _ Thorax _ before you. That wasn’t right.  _ You _ should have been the first you I told. I wanted to tell you ever since then, but I kept telling myself that you weren’t him. It’s rude and judge-y to think you’re the same person as him.”

“I trust you too.” Thorax apologized. He changed back to his natural form-though his wings were still shiny. “I was too scared to say anything. I kept thinking you were the Great Betrayer the Queen said you were, so I never said.”

“I was worried you would hear how bizarre I really was then break up with me.”

“I thought you would send me to the Princess.”

“...guess we both had a lot to work through.” Thorax snorted in agreement. “Have your wings always looked like that?”

Thorax lifted up his glittering wings. “No. I think this only happened a few hours ago, after we slept together on your couch-” He cut himself off. “Today’s not my best day.”

“It’s not mine either, if it helps.” 

“No I mean...it’s been really bad.” Thorax visibly slumped. His compound blue eyes started to shake, in what I can only assume was what happened when changelings started to cry. “He...he took my sister, then threw me back to the Queen.”

I sat down, lowering myself to his level for eye contact. 

Thorax continued on. His voice was heavy. “There was somepony in my house. I sent Lilac and Cookie-” His compound eyes widened in what I figured was fear. “They made it to Fluttershy’s, right?”

“Yes. Discord and I found them. He put a bubble around the house. I don’t know if it’s going to hold if that throne is sucking up his magic.” I admitted.

Thorax pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s for active magic. Still, the changelings could start smashing against it like we did at Canterlot. I don’t know how long it’ll last with...you know.”

“Yeah. I can’t stop...you said somepony was in your house?”

“Yes.” Thorax cleared his throat, nervously. “After sending the girls away, I went to check it out. I went inside and...there was an earth pony. I thought I had seen him before, but I couldn’t remember where. He was with the changeling princess, Cyanide. They had my sister. She was.” Thorax’s form trembled only slightly. “She was scared. This pony had her _ trapped _ .”

I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. His trembling lessened at the touch, more so as I brushed down on his carapace (to be honest, the carapace was a lot softer than it looked). He pushed him shoulder against my hand. It vibrated with a soft chirping.

He was giving me a faint smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s okay.” I assured. It took me a minute after he calmed down to realize I hadn’t moved my hand off him. “Aren’t all changelings related? Or something? I don’t actually know anything about them. Kinda bad if you guys call me your biggest enemy.”

Thorax snorted. “We  _ are _ sorta related. We can chose our family ones, though. The Royals don’t get much option, they _ have _ to treat other Royals as relatives. Us drones can chose our brothers and sisters.”

“Huh. So, your chosen sister was taken?” Thorax nodded. “By an earth pony working with the _ changelings _ ? I thought they hated ponies because we’re food.” I blinked when Thorax looked down. “Oh, present company excluded.”

“It’s okay. I’m not sure what’s food to  _ you _ though.” He eyed my face. “You have...um...sharp canines in the back.”

My cheek darkened.  _ ‘Way to accidentally bring up Morgana, my idiot boyfriend. _ ’ “Yeah I eat  _ some  _ meat, like fish or chicken. Mostly fruit though. You’re _ fine _ .”

Thorax winced. “Sorry. I can feel your emotions. Sore subject?”

The emotion reading only sorta phased me. You probably needed empathy on a changeling’s scale to see what was going on in my head. “...yes.” Was my answer after a pause.

He nodded.

“Wait a second. You said you couldn’t remember where you saw the earth pony.” I recalled. “That means you remembered eventually. If I know who he is, maybe I could help-”

“You  _ don’t _ want to mess with this one.” Thorax warned immediately. “I mean it, Starry. The other changelings talk about him, the few that’ve seen him. They  _ never _ had good things to say. He can use  _ magic _ . He’s thrown changelings across the room so hard they have to be healed! The wall  _ and  _ the changeling! Some of us wonder if he’s even a  _ pony _ and not some horrible monster with razor sharp teeth!”

“Hold on-”

“I said I wouldn’t bring up the teeth-”

“You think he’s _ human _ ?” I motioned to my body. “Like this?”

“Changelings didn’t know humans  _ existed _ before you...but yeah.”

“So  _ who is he _ ?”

Thorax let out a small sigh. “I hate that you’re so stubborn. But, it’s why I love you.” Thorax leaned in. His sharp teeth were exposed in a menacing snarl. “He calls himself _ ...Garfield Logan.” _

Oh I was gonna lose my shit.

==DMLC==

“That was the most  _ terrific _ failure I’ve ever seen.” Garfield spoke up.

Chrysalis snarled, turning her body towards the earth pony. He emerged from the shadows. There was an awfully smug glint in his black eyes. She  _ hated _ that there was nothing she could do against the dark creature.

“I mean it. I’ve seen some screw ups in the past but this tops them. There was this incident at a power plant that could’ve gone better. Then there’s  _ every _ Bond villain  _ ever _ . Did I mention a Voldemort? Boy was that a  _ disaster- _ ”

“Quit it!” She snarled.

The earth pony mastermind only grinned. “Then, Your Majesty, this is where we part ways.” He stood up, making his way to the doors.

Chrysalis was happy to be rid of him.

Logan chuckled as the doors were opened for him. “At least she’s alone. It shouldn’t be hard to find a human in a Changeling Hive-”

“Ha! Finally I know something  _ you _ do not! She’s not alone!” Chrysalis hissed in pride.

He stopped.

“She was with that  _ second  _ traitor! The one you had my daughter retrieve!” Chrysalis went on. At Logan’s continued silence, the Queen felt empowered. She’d  _ never _ felt more superior to him. “We released him from his cocoon to show the Betrayer. His changeling skin was exposed before her very eyes! The Great Betrayer, fooled by a changeling!” The Queen laughed. 

_ If Logan had his fists _ ...

“She ran off with him, unfortunately. I trust my changeling guards and patrol to find them. She’s without magic and  _ he’s  _ nothing more than a drone-”

“You  **idiot** .” He seethed.

Chrysalis froze.

“I told you specifically not to let that  _ trash _ out of his cocoon.” “Do you have any idea what monster you’ve just let out?”

“The drone? He’s meaningless.” Chrysalis tried to argue.

“And he has reason to hate  _ both  _ of us. He knows you gave Cicada to me.  _ Raspberry _ takes family  _ far _ more seriously than you do. She’s not going to stop now until your entire Hive is in  _ ash _ . You’ve given it to her all wrapped up in a carapace covered bow.”

If Chrysalis felt fear, like a pathetic pony, she would be squeaking.

Logan growled at her ignorance. He teleported out of the Hive, furious.


	22. Chapter 22

Princess Cyanide returned home to a war won. She didn’t know that it wasn’t her own side that had lost, of course, not when the changelings were greeting her with such loud cheering and praise. Not when she flew into the Hive to find it in tact (aside from the holes already there). Cyanide couldn’t have known that deep in the tunnels of the Hive that the Great Betrayer and another traitor were planning the downfall of Queen Chrysalis and her plan.

She flew up into the throne room. The trapped ponies in their pods shined down on the throne, like a macabre chandelier. Her mother was on the scarab connection, speaking to a changeling general. You could see the home of the Bearer of Kindness in the background, with only the shattered remains of a shield behind it.

It was going to be a highly celebrated victory. Cyanide could already hear the echoes of screaming ponies in her ears. 

_ “The shield has fallen.” _ The head changeling guard reported.  _ “We have taken the last of the Bearers, and the Great Betrayer’s spawn. You have succeeded, My Queen.” _ He bowed the her.

Chrysalis bowed her head in acknowledgment. The guard rose back up. “Well done, Pharynx. Bind them in pods, then bring them to me. You have served the Hive  _ perfectly _ .”

The scarabs turned off.

Chrysalis began to laugh, maniacally. She threw her hooves in the air. Cyanide joined in the laughter, though more subdued out of respect to her mother.

This was the Queen’s victory.

This was the Hive’s victory.

This was Equestria’s downfall.

“At last!” Chrysalis cheered loudly. She flew up in the air, flying in loops above her throne. “My ever so hungry changeling will be allowed to feed on the helpless ponies of Equestria!”

The celebration was cut off by the doors being thrown open. A group of twenty changeling guards brought in a prisoner. Chrysalis’ grin stretched out to her ears. If Morgan was asked, she’d say it looked like Beetlejuice.

The Great Betrayer could not look any lower. Her wardrobe was dirty from wherever she’d been hiding. There was a heavy scowl on her face, like some kind of Diamond Dog snarl.

“Chrysalis. You recruited Garfield Logan?” She seethed.

She spoke as Chrysalis’ prisoner. Her arms were encased in changeling gel, keeping her as their prisoner. The Queen has the impression this could change any time the Great Betrayer wanted it. 

Which was ridiculous. Her magic was cut off by the throne. Chrysalis laughed at the Great Betrayer’s rage.  _ ‘How foolish Logan was. The Betrayer is useless now, without magic and aid.’  _ “So now you see! Tell me, does it  _ burn _ to have one of your own betray you?”

“Can’t you tell,  _ Your Majesty _ ? You have personal experience with it.” The Betrayer hissed. “Of course, your’s is going to end up a  _ lot _ happier than Garfield Logan.”

Chrysalis didn’t let her emotion show. The Great Betrayer was truly a dangerous enemy. The Great Betrayer was trying to get Chrysalis to react emotionally,  _ she _ remembered that mistake from last time. 

“All traitors to the Hive are dealt with.  _ Swiftly _ .” Chrysalis stated. She laugh, deep in her throat. “He was a fool to betray the Hive, and a bigger fool to be captured by them! When my guard find your precious ‘ _ coltfriend’ _ , he will see what happens to those who betray the Hive!” Chrysalis taunted.

The changeling around her laughed.

But what  _ really _ gave away the secret was when the Great Betrayer’s eyes flashed blue. They were so small on that misshapen head, Chrysalis had missed it because her back was turned. 

Lucky for her, Cyanide was watching The Great Betrayer. She never looked away. “And Mother doesn’t have to wait long, does she?”

The Betrayer  _ squeaked _ . That was curtains. Game over.  _ Hasta la vista. _

Chrysalis whirled her body back to the Traitor. She powered her horn up with the borrowed magic of the throne. Before the Traitor could plead, Chrysalis fired a shot at his feet.

He changed to the Traitor, wings sparkling in the light of the pods. His brothers and sisters of the Hive hissed at him.

Cyanide ran forward, standing at her the Traitor’s side. She grabbed his neck in her magic. “Where is the Great Betrayer?!”

Then, they heard the explosions.

==DMLC==

The entire changeling hoard turned to face me as I threw another lit stick of dynamite. It wasn’t doing  _ anything  _ to even make a scratch on the carapace.

I turned to then when the explosion failed. “Don’t mind me!” I shouted. Reaching in my bag, I pulled out a grenade. “You guys can have your family drama. I’ll stay out of it.” Pulling the pink out with my teeth, I tossed the grenade at the throne.

It fell in one of the holes. It shouldn’t be too hard for it to-

**BOOM**

-okay the throne was still standing.

“What is this thing even made of?!” I shouted. “Seriously! One of you needs to tell me the chemical structure of carapace. This stuff is  _ impossible _ to break!”

Chrysalis and her daughter hissed at me.

I hissed back, mocking them. 

“Are you done? I have more work to do, taking apart this thing.” My arm swept up to the giant black throne. “Go back to the family spat.”

“Morgan!” Thorax choked.

“Coming back to you, honey, just busy here.”

“Choking!”

“That’s because your sister has you in a death grip. Please try to keep up, honey, you’re making me look bad.” I chided, playfully.

“I am  _ not _ his sister!” Cyanide snapped. 

“Yeah he explained that bit.” I turned to Chrysalis. “I’m gonna argue with you later about giving his sister to my mortal enemy.”

Princess Cyanide snarled loudly. Her body flared bright green. “How dare you disrespect the Hive?!” She dropped Thorax to the ground. She marched towards me, her body changing to match my own. “I’ll kill you with your own hands, Betrayer!”

I blinked at her. “You know, you’re not the first person to say that to me. Funny enough the other person  _ wasn’t _ my sister.”

She snarled. Then charged.

Rolling my eyes, I lifted my Bag up by the handle. When she was close enough I whacked the side of her head with it. Princess Cyanide flew to the side. 

“You just brought  _ hands _ to an explosives fight. Do you know how stupid you are?” I put the Bag back on the ground. Once it was flat I grabbed more dynamite. “Granted those are  _ my  _ hands. Legal lethal weapons, those are.”

“You attacked my daughter?!” Chrysalis hissed.

“ _ You  _ attacked mine  _ first _ .” I argued. “And you sided with  _ him _ . Garfield Logan. That traitorous-” I lit the fuse on the dynamite. “-heartless-” I lifted the stick above my head. “-son of a bit-”

Chrysalis lit up her horn. She lifted Thorax up from the ground. He gagged again.

I stopped.

“You brought explosives to a magic fight.” Chrysalis mocked. “Do you know how stupid you are?” She blasted my dynamite wick with her magic. The flame was gone. 

“Put him down.” It was supposed to be a stern order. It came out weak, a plea. “Please. Just...hear me out.”

“Why should I?” Chrysalis argued. “I’m on the cusp of victory!”

“Fine! Take over Equestria!” I shouted. “Give it a few years, there won’t be any love left. You’ll be right back at square one. Then what will you do?”

“The Changelings will find a way!” Chrysalis decreed.

“Thorax already did!” I snapped. “He  _ found  _ a bloody way! Thorax left the Hive and made a fillyfriend,  _ me _ by the way. Your  _ biggest  _ enemy. He  _ shared _ love, and now he doesn’t  _ need _ to feed.” My arm waved out to the rest of the Hive. “They don’t have to live your lives starving all the time!”

Cyanide jumped at my side. I yelled out in pain when my back hit ground.

“Star!” Thorax called out. He fought against 

“You know  _ nothing _ of the changelings or what it takes to be their queen!” Cyanide snarked in my face. “You pathetic  _ beast! _ ”

I pushed her hooves off me. What came out of me next was more of a dragon snarl than true words. “Are you kidding me?  _ Me _ ? I don’t know what it takes? Back Home,  _ I’m  _ the Queen to  _ an entire planet!  _ To millions of people, and the ones they interact with! Before  _ that,  _ I know what it’s like to be a mother! I know what it’s like to put their needs before your own! Give a try sometime,  _ princess!” _

Kicking her stomach, Cyanide groaned in pain. I pushed her off me.

Rising to my feet, I narrowed my focus on Chrysalis and Thorax.

“And I have seen this story play out in hundreds of worlds for  _ thousands  _ of people.” I explained, my feet firmly on the ground. My voice filled the throne room, maybe spilling out into the hall.

“And I  _ refuse _ to play the part of your conqueror.” I stated.

“Then be conquered!” Queen Chrysalis insisted. “You’re already defeated!” She lifted Thorax higher in her magic. “And I’ll drain you of  _ everything,  _ just as soon as I drain every last ounce of your love from him and show my subjects what a  _ real _ leader is!”

Her horn  _ blared  _ with magic.

Thorax cried out in pain.

“ _ No!” _ I screamed, running toward him. It felt like my own body was being drained, watching him be hurt. Cyanide appeared in front of me, aiming her horn at me. It flowed a threatening green. “Put him down!” I ordered Chrysalis.

She ignored me. She cackled as Thorax screamed.

“I can feel the love inside me slipping away...! I can’t hold onto it much longer...!” Thorax shouted to me. “Star I’m...I’m sorry!”

“No! Stop it! Stop-” I stopped myself. Thorax was still screaming. “Holy crap. Thorax, give it to her!” I called out.

“What?!” He shouted back.

“Share all of the love with her! All of it!” I shouted. “Do it now!”

“But-”

“ _ Trust me and do it!” _

Thorax took a deep breath then  _ unleashed. _

The first blue blast sent Chrysalis off into her throne.  _ This _ was enough to crack it. The cracks spread across like a spiderweb, the tips fell off in chunks. It made me grin.

My attention went back to Thorax in time to see the blue magic wrap itself around him. He locked eyes with me just as the cocoon finished itself. “Bee!” I screamed.

Running up to the cocoon, I felt the  _ warmth _ of it. It wasn’t warm enough to burn skin. It was the warmth of a cup of cocoa, or fresh made soup. I reached up to touch it. The cocoon warmed under my palm.

The cocoon burst in near white fire. I flinched away from it, not watching where I was going and fell on my ass.

Thorax’s form changed. He was taller now, I’d say my height without the giant moose horns. His skin was mostly bright green, his underbelly was dark green, chest a bright orange ending with three diamonds. His wings weren’t sparkling now, they were a dark pink (including the carapace) and stretched out like a dragonfly.

I blinked.  _ ‘Huh...was  _ not  _ expecting that.’ _

“How did you know it would do that?” Thorax asked, giddy. It switched to uncertain. “You  _ did _ know it would do that, right?”

“... _ sure _ ?”

Thorax didn’t even pause. “Morgan.”

“ _ Okay _ ...I may have thought she would explode. You were shooting a laser beam at her face!” I admitted, shrugging. Giving the new body a once over, I smiled warmly. “But this works too.”

Thorax snorted. He looked at the top of his head, then looked up to his antlers. He started beaming. “Yeah. I think it does.”

I wanted to punch him.  _ ‘Don’t make fun my shortness because of your sudden height, you jerk!’ _

Thorax turned to his people. “You guys! You can change too!  _ This _ is what we were supposed to be.  _ Giving  _ love, instead of taking!”

“No!” Cyanide screamed out. She huffed, smoke coming out of her nostrils. She growled, charging forward like an angry bull. 

“Not to rush you but I’d do it fast!” I called out.

Cyanide snarled loudly, coming closer. 

I stood by Thorax’s side, ready to push us apart if it kept him safe from the insane changeling.

Behind me and above and all around the room, the changelings changed. They started shooting off bright pink beams. The beams hit Cyanide. She was flung back. She landed on top of her mother. The cracks made from Thorax’s change glowed pink, growing wider and longer. The entire Hive shook.

Then... ** _KABOOM!_ **

==DMLC==

The smoke cleared. Or I assumed it did, I was under a blue changeling-made magic shield. Thorax was wrapping me up in a hug. The wings felt soft against my sore skin. 

It faded away after Thorax unwrapped his wings, the glow on his antlers fading with it.

I looked out at the remains of the throne room. The roof had been completely blown away, the ponies trapped inside were scattered about ( _ unharmed as one would be, being trapped in goop for so long) _ on the floor.

There were  _ dozens _ of new colorful changelings too. Green ones, and pink, orange, even blue! I’m not sure if it was pride or relief in my chest.

_ (I figured out really quick it was actually the start of something worse) _

I saw the Heart of Damballa nestled in a puddle of goo. Without much forethought I ran to it. Thorax chased after me, warning me about slipping on the goop.

When I had the Heart in my hands, I had this overwhelming surge of memories come with it. Ones with Darcy, back in that world. All those times we used to run and hide from the pain caused by this totem. Now here I was, going through more pain to take it back.

Thorax sat by my side. “What is it?” He asked, trying to get a peak at the necklace.

After a long pause I answered “Important.” Slapping it in his hoof, I made sure he held it  _ tight _ . “You give this back to me when I’m coherent, yeah? Or I’ll hurt you.”

“You can be coherent?” Thorax asked, sounding serious.

I saw Twilight crawling away from her pod, so I went to her side. Thorax a step behind me.

Twilight groaned. “Raspberry? What happened?” Her eyes bugged. “Why are you a person?”

“Oh good!  _ You  _ are fine!” I cheered.

Twilight froze. “Why did you emphasize the  _ ‘you’ _ in that? Nothing good happens when you emphasize words.”

“We’ll talk in Canterlot after they let me out.” I supplied.

“After  _ who _ lets you out?” Twilight interrogated.

Before I could reply (something sarcastic about  _ her _ emphasizing words), there was a loud shout across the room. I expected Chrysalis and Cyanide to be snarling vengeance me. It wasn’t  _ unwelcome _ , by the way. They could snarl vengeance all they wanted, I  _ won _ .

What I saw was  _ weirder _ .

There was a new tall changeling blocking the Royal Changelings. Her carapace was bright orange around her head, fading in red around her neck. There was a pair of feminine antlers on her head (I don’t know if antlers  _ can  _ be feminine, but this changeling was pulling them off) glowing an acidic green, matching her compound eyes. Her wings were a dark red, the carapace beneath even darker. 

She was snarling at the Changeling Royals. The two actually looked  _ afraid _ of this new changeling.

She looked deadly. And elegant.

_ (Maybe it was the delirium talking, but she was hot) _

“So...who’re you?”

“I am Princess Thorne.” The colorful changeling introduced. Her entire body said  _ ‘I am regal. Hear me roar!’  _ “The Queen exiled me after my evolution. They believed me  _ weak _ !”

A dark grin formed on my face. The extra cocoon, the one holding someone I couldn’t see. It had been holding  _ Thorne! _

My attention returned to the scared Chrysalis. “I can’t accuse you of sentiment. From what I’ve seen you would’ve killed her when she changed. She was  _ stronger _ than you. You locked her away because you were  _ scared _ .”

Chrysalis denied me a response. Cyanide nearly did, so Chrysalis silenced her with a glare.

“How are you...like this?” Thorax asked.

“I loved my sister.” “She was my only friend.”

“Well your mother and sister were keeping mine dead.” I motioned to the Heart of Damballa in Thorax’s hoof. “So you can handle  _ your  _ internal affairs and then when my sister is back and if I’m not about to die, you, Celestia, and I can get together and...make peace or whatever.”

“Discord! Make sure everyone gets back to Canterlot Hospital. Can you bring Lilac and Cookie when you pick up Fluttershy?”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Of course I will! What do you think I am? Some  _ monster _ who likes pain and misery?”

“Pass.” I turned to Thorax. “ _ You _ , catch me.”

“What?! Why?” Thorax asked in a rush of panic. “Is something wrong?!”

“Yeah. Because I’m about to...”

As I’m saying this, my eyes rolled back in my head. My body went lax.

When the throne exploded, I felt my magic return to me. Problem was, my body knows that when I’m in Equestria I’m supposed to be an alicorn. I’ve been holding off the effects of changing back. 

Not only that, the magic had been  _ held back _ . There was a lot there to begin with. As I felt myself fall to the ground, my magic grew out with it.

The ground around me start blooming flowers, complete with bright green grass. Trees in the distance were coming to...well I guess life. And I only knew this because I  _ felt it _ . I felt the magic pour out from my feet and extended to the end of that anti-magic barrier.

It hurt, oh  _ hell _ did it hurt. The further my magic went out the more my body burned. My skin was buzzing as it changed from human tan to alicorn pink.

It was a relief when I passed out in Thorax’s hooves.


	23. Chapter 23

The Royal Hospital Wing did not see as many ponies as one would think. They had the occasional patient of a royal guard who was hurt in training, or a servant that had dropped something heavy on their hoof. They rarely had the Princesses inside, or any of the Element Bearers. For the first time, they had a changeling patient.

It was a changeling male, they could tell that much. He had upgraded to a more advanced natural form. The medical staff was monitoring his new vitals, in case of emergency. They were told the other changelings would arrive the next day for their own tests. It was going to help Equestrian/Changeling relations. Not that the doctors cared much for the politics, just the patients. Their first had agreed to all of the doctors exams, on one condition. He share his room with Princess Raspberry Stardust.

The dark pink alicorn came in before the changeling. She had been comatose since arriving earlier that morning. According to Princess Celestia, the alicorn has suffered a painful transformation back to her pony self. Her magic had also been restrained, unleashing in what was reported as a  _ ‘unicorn foal surge of power’ _ . Based on how long she’d been unconscious, it must’ve been painful.

The medical staff let Thorax have it.

As soon as he was situated, he kept his now purple compound eyes on Princess Raspberry’s prone form. He had adjusted himself during whatever test so that his gaze was still on the Princess. 

It was the middle of the afternoon when the medical staff had all the data they needed. As soon as their tests were done, they left the two alone.

==DMLC==

Thorax knew if she was awake, she’d be calling her a creep for watching her sleep. She would tell him it was as creepy as stalking her before their relationship.

He couldn’t help it, or explain it. Thorax thought that if he looked away from Starry that she would disappear.

The last week had been such an emotional rollercoaster. Thorax’s head spun when he though about it. (Could his head spin now? His new body had new abilities he wasn’t sure he liked)

Thorax looked over the dark pink alicorn. She was sleeping peacefully. He couldn’t stop picturing her human self. He compared them.

Raspberry’s coat, and Morgan’s skin, both giving him that same sense of comfort. Raspberry’s freckles that matched the ones on Morgan’s cheeks. Those amber eyes that didn’t change in shade, merely in size. Her same smile, smirk, and grin. Her same frown. The same eyebrow creases when thinking. 

They were the same being. Thorax knee that, he’d  _ seen _ that. He was a changeling. He knew a thing or two about shape shifting. The way Morgan screamed as she changed back...watching her excess magic leave her body so rapidly...Thorax was terrified. 

Not of her. Never of her. He was scared that the pain would keep her from ever waking up again.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” Thorax mumbles, distractedly.

A pair of Royal guards came in the room. Thorax sighed. 

==DMLC==

Thorax was brought to the Throne Room by the guards. Under normal circumstances, he would have gawked at the colors. He would’ve thought about how much Queen Chrysalis destroyed just so she lead from this room.

He didn’t.

His mind was back in that hospital room, where Morgan was unconscious.

Thorax noticed the other Princesses had been gathered. Prince Consort Shining Armor had been a surprise. He’d been at the Hive, yes, but Thorax didn’t think Shining Armor would want to sit in a room with a changeling. With the four Princess, the Prince Consort, and the new Changeling Queen in the room, and despite his new larger body, Thorax felt lesser. He could suddenly see with sharp accuracy his last visit to Canterlot.

He wanted Morgan by his side for this. If she there, then that meant she was okay. 

He noticed -in the same way one notices a sword in their side- that Lilac and Cookie weren’t there. He remembered the report Pharynx gave before Thorax arrived. Were the girls alright? had  _ all _ of Thorax’s girls been hurt?

“Thorax.” Princess Celestia greeted him. Thorax didn’t respond, too lost in his inner panic. “I was so happy to hear you were well.”

“As was I.” Queen Thorne added. “Has there been word on the-what did you call her? Raspberry?”

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at the green changeling. Thorax still didn’t answer. 

“It’s  _ Morgan _ , actually.” Twilight corrected. “Morgan Spencer.”

Thorne grimaced. “A peculiar name. What kind of species was she? Not a single ling of you has said.”

“Yes, it’s almost like you’re  _ hiding _ it from us.” Shining Armor hinted. He glanced at his LSBFF.

The purple alicorn frowned, sad by her brother’s anger to Morgan. “Morgan never wanted anypony to know. She was-”

“She was  _ lying _ again, to get what she wanted.” Shining Armor argued.

Thorax’s ear twitched.

“She knew you’d react like this!” Twilight countered.

“So she kept herself a secret?” Princess Cadence asked. “Why? We would’ve understood.”

“My friends and I, we weren’t happy when we found out about Morgan. She was  _ terrified _ to tell us. She was worried we would get hurt.” Twilight admitted. “I hate to say it, but she was right. We  _ were _ hurt.”

“By who?” Shining Armor asked, protective instinct rising to protect his sister.

Twilight winced. “A traitor in Morgan’s...Home. He attacked us for being on Morgan’s side.”

Shining breathes out through his muzzle, angrily.

“We weren’t hurt  _ badly _ , Shining Armor-”

“Are Lilac and Cookie okay?” Thorax interjected, panicked. “They’re not here. I heard a changeling say they’d been captured. They can’t be hurt. They  _ have _ to be okay. Are they?”

If they weren’t okay...if they  _ stayed _ not okay by the time Morgan woke up...

“Princess Lilac and Princess Cookie are unharmed.” Luna assured from her sister’s side. “We share your concern for them. Discord vanished as soon as-” Luna cut herself off, seeing Thorax droop at the reminder of Morgan’s pain. “As soon as he could.”

Thorax let out a slightly relieved breath. He may have heard that before, at the Hive. He’d been too worried about how Morgan wasn’t waking up as she changed back to her alicorn body.

“Where are they?” Thorax asked.

“Waiting with Pinkie Pie.” Twilight answered. “They wanted to see Morgan. We don’t want them to wake her up before it’s safe.”

Thorax nodded. “Okay...okay...yeah. She needs-she should sleep.” Thoreau could still head her screaming in pain, the heavy dead weight of her in his hooves.

_ ‘You give this back to me when I’m conherant, yeah? Or I’ll hurt you.” _

He looked down at the necklace in his hoof. He hadn’t let it go.

“I need to get back to her.” Thorax insisted. “I need to be there when she wakes up.”

“Thorax, there is much we must discuss.” Princess Celestia advised. “Morgan will be asleep for a while longer.”

“Yeah. There’s a lot to talk about.” Shining Armor agreed. “Like, just what  _ was _ she?”

Twilight began. “A human.”

“Like the beings in the world with Sunset Shimmer?” Princess Cadence asked.

“Kinda, but not exactly.” Twilight admitted. “In Morgan’s world, they don’t have our colors or magic. The humans all look about the same.”

“She’s from another  _ world _ ?” Shining Armor asked.

“Yes.” Twilight answered. “She’s Queen of it, her entire race of Traveler’s and the other humans.”

“Queen? Raspberry, a Queen?” Princess Cadence gasped.

“Yes. She was a good one-”

“Is.” Thorax interrupted. Twilight turned to him. “She  _ is _ a good one. She’s not- she’s  _ not _ -”

“You’re right, Thorax. I’m sorry.” Twilight apologized.

“She was only hurt because she got involved with changelings. _ Again _ .” Shining Armor argued

“Shining Armor-” Princess Cadence tried to interrupt.

“She said last time that she was sorry she lied to us about the changelings. Now I find out she’s been _ dating _ one? She knew about the Invasion _ months _ before it happened. Twilight, you can't expect me to believe she didn’t know about _ him _ too.” Shining Armor pointed out.

“That’s just it, Shining Armor! She didn’t!” Twilight tried to reason with him.

“Morgan found out I was a changeling while was were inside the Hive.” Thorax revealed. “I tried to tell her before...I couldn’t muck up the courage.”

“You were only trying to be her coltfriend so you could capture her and the others!” Shining Armor shouted.

“No! I broke away from the Hive  _ because _ of her!” Thorax shouted back.

“You did it to help your Queen with her plan!”

“I didn’t _ know _ there was a plan!”

“Shining Armor, calm down.” Princess Cadence asked. She put a hoof on his shoulder. “He’s telling the truth.”

“He’s a changeling! They lie all the time!”

“She’s family.” Thorax argued, fierce. “I would never do anything to hurt her. Hurting all of you is the  _ perfect _ way to hurt her! Look at what my mother did to prove it!”

Nopony had a response for that.

Well except for Queen Thorne.

“Family?” She pointed out. 

Thorax fought to keep his cheeks from coloring. Well coloring more than their new green. “She accepted my request.”

“Did she know?” Thorne asked.

Thorax couldn’t stop the coloring. “Yes.”

Thorne gave him a look. He was a terrible liar.

“Queen Thorne, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked. 

“All changelings in the Hive are related.” Thorne kept her eyes on Thorax. “There are too many for us to be a collective family. So the drones create their own inner families. They can pick their own brothers and sisters. It’s one of the few freedoms Mother gave them. The only catch was that this couldn’t be done by force. Both changelings had to accept the other, otherwise it would be pointless.”

“Which Starry did!” Thorax defended.

“Yes and  _ did she know?” _ Thorne stressed.

“...she kissed me back.”

“You did it with a  _ kiss _ ?! What were you thinking?!” Thorne asked.

“It was a good idea at the time!” Thorax excused. 

“ _ What _ was the idea?!” Twilight asked, feeling concern turn to panic.

“I asked Starry to marry me using changeling family magic and she accepted but I didn’t tell.” Thorax answered, eyes bugged in embarrassment.

Everypony’s jaw dropped.

Two guards opened the door for a doctor. He paid little attention to their looks of shock.

“Princess Twilight, you told me to come to you if I there were any changes?”

Twilight blinked. “Uhh...”

“Just thought you’d like to know that Princess Raspberry is waking up.” The doctor revealed.


	24. Chapter 24

_ Dark. _

_ So dark. _

_ Like a cliche kind of dark. _

_ It shouldn’t be this dark. Why was it so sad? _

_ Not sad, no. Sad was something else. The dark was just...dark...right? _

_ Advanced Darkness. _

_ That old bitch. _

Hello Darkness my old friend.

_ I laughed at the old joke. After a second, I realized my laugh wasn’t supposed to echo in this kind of dark.  _

_ “Hello?” I called out, immediately feeling ridiculous. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Maybe everything is going okay and I’m just being worried for no reason. _

_ Except why didn’t it echo that time? _

_ “I know someone is there.” I guessed.  _

_ The voice that wasn’t an echo but was my voice-  _ shouldn’t be my voice only one person has my voice why why why is it can it be why does this dream hate me _ \- didn’t answer. _

_ “Come out.” I called out. My awareness of the dreams was fading. I knew this wasn’t life but I knew that voice was the closest way to life I wanted. “I need to hear your voice again.” _

_ More nothing. _

_ I fell to my knees. _

_ The darkness didn’t echo the sound of my crying. _

_ My awareness left me. Still I cried. _

_ What was I kneeling on? _

_ Why was I crying? _

_ Who had crushed the heart in my chest? _

_ “You always were a melodramatic bitch.” _

_ I was always a melodramatic bitch. _

_ “Seriously. This crying is pathetic. Would you stop?” _

_ Seriously. This crying is pathetic. Can I stop? _

_ ...am  _ I  _ an echo? _

_ “No! You’re not a fucking echo. Author’s Storyline, you’re being stupid on purpose!” _

_ ...you _

_ I got up to my feet. Tears were still on my cheek. _

_ “You’re leaking, Yellow.” _

_ “You left, Purple.” _

_ “Who’s fault was that?” _

_ Mine. _

_ Mine. _

_ Always mine. _

_ “Mine. It was mine.” _

_ No. No it wasn’t your fault. My fault. Always, _ always _ me. Such a child. Can’t do anything right. _

_ “ _ I  _ was the one who did it. I curled my hair, put in the contacts, fixed your hair. Morgue it was MY FAULT! Can’t you let me have this _ one thing _ ?” _

_ I killed her. I brought her there. _

_ She didn’t need to come back. _

_ Should’ve left her alone. _

_ Everyone would’ve been happier. _

_ Dominic would’ve killed me- _

_ “And then he would’ve killed Lilac. Who would stop him then?” _

_ ... _

_ “Crap- you’re crying again. Why? Is this a new thing? Do we  _ cry _ now? I told Twilight to keep you from being  _ stupid.  _ Cry on your own time, dumbass, we have work to do!” _

_ Then, something hit my cheek. Something so strong it felt  _ real...

==DMLC==

“Darcy!” I screamed in agony, sitting up.

The door to my room slammed open.

Hooves came up to my side. They tried to push me back down on the bed.

“NO!”

My magic  _ inhaled _ and _ exhaled _ . It stretched out around the room, pushing the ponies away.

_ ‘She was here. I know she was! I felt her. She hit me.’ _

Something was in my blood...making me tired...sedative...I...thi...

==DMLC==

_ “You fuck slut!” _

_ Something grabbed me by the shoulders. It hauled me off my hooves. The force (which felt like hands) shook me. _

_ “Where are the girls?!” _

==DMLC==

That time I woke up with a pained gasp.

The sedative must’ve been strong. 

The room had a medical team waiting. The ponies were all watching with me with caution. A pegasi nurse was holding a syringe in her wing. A unicorn doctor had his hoof out in front of the nurse, holding her back.

They gave me some peace to wake up fully. I was somewhat grateful. The quiet let me process what has just been playing before my eyes in the dreamscape.

Because she couldn’t have been there.

“Where...” I wheezed. When I woke up, I’d jumped to an upright position. My body was exhausted, longing to fall back against the bed. Except I had too many questions. “Whe...”

The doctor let the nurse through. The nurse didn’t give me the syringe. He checked the equipment that had been beeping rapidly at my side.

Another nurse-unicorn, female- was checking the cords that had been attached to my hooves. The doctor was watching from her earlier spot.

They weren’t answering my questions.

They were...they were in  _ lab coats _ .

“Doctor, her heart rate is rising.”

“And her breathing is speeding up.”

“Do we sedate her?”

Somepony knocked on the door.

“No. I don’t want to give her more of it before the tests-”

_ TESTS?! _

“Doctor, her heart rate is spiking!”

“Her BP just dropped!”

“Give her the-”

“Give her more space! You’re scaring her!” Somepony  _ -familiar-safe-trusted-easy to tease- _ ordered.

The doctor and nurses around me backed off.

The space was much appreciated. I took a deep breath, finally not needing to share the precious air.

_ Precious... _

“Girls?” I forced the word out of my throat, pushing it past the pain.

“Safe. Discord saved them.” Twilight reported. This wasn’t her first time dealing with me after a nightmare.

“Six...” I wheezed. “Mane...?”

“They’re safe too.” Twilight answered.

That took off some tension. I took a deeper breath. “Roy’l?”

“Morgan, _ everypony is okay.” _ Twilight stressed.

“Pony?”

“I’m fine, Starry.” Thorax spoke up. His hoof touched my neck. A gesture that was meant to comfort.

That time I gasped (not from shock though, this was me happily taking in more air) out. Thorax flinched away. I held up a hoof to stop him.

“Stay.” I asked.

Thorax did. His hoof curled further along the side of my neck.

A memory- hazy and clear- came back. “Purple.” I breathed. “Purple...purple.”

“I’m here, Morgan.” Twilight assured from my other side. She came up so I could see.

I tilted my head. No, no that wasn’t right. She wasn’t the purple I was talking about. This was  _ Purple _ .

Curling my head closer against Thorax’s hoof, I pushed away the pain. Purple _ was _ here. Or as close as she could be.

“Heart.” I requested.

Nopony moved.

“ _ Heart _ .” I repeated, my voice getting low in irritation.

Thorax’s hoof tensed against my neck. “Doctor, she says something about her heart. Is she okay?”

“Her heart rate is steady. Well, steady as expected in these conditions. She’s very excited right now.”

“Need...th’ Heart.” I huffed. “Twilight need the Heart for Purple!”

“Oh my!” Twilight gasped in realization. “Thorax, the pendant! She’s asking for it.”

“Oh!” Thorax replied. 

The Heart of Damballa was laid out on my hoof. I curled my hoof around it, using the cold metal to ground me.

_ She could come Home now. _

==DMLC==

I blinked.

“What just happened?” Though because I was tired, it came out _ ‘wa juss ‘app’n’d’. _

Thorax’s hoof had moved from my neck. He was brushing it down on my mane now. “You passed out. It was just for a second. Thought you were hugging me, actually. The doctors said you were okay...” He lowered his head to the hospital bed, resting it next to my head. “Sorry I got worried.”

“‘s alright. Hug you later?” I offered.

Thorax kissed my head, smiling fondly. “Promise?”

“Sure.” I shrugged. Doing so sent a sharp pain along my back. “ _ Ugh _ my head is killing me. And my whole  _ body _ .”

“You’re not wrong, Raspberry.” Twilight stepped forward. “According to what Thorax and Thorne have told me, Chrysalis’ throne absorbed the magic of intruders. It didn’t reuse the magic, just kept it in place. Once you blew it up, the Magic’s of everypony were redistributed back into nature. However  _ your  _ magic returned to you. You absorbed your own magic in addition to the magic you had been currently making. There was  _ so much of it  _ that your body couldn’t contain the force.”

I was listening to Twilight go on, taking in the speech as best I could. Everypony else in the room seemed to be lightly tuning her out. Thorax on the other hand, was listening to Twilight with a look so intense it was like he was recording it for emergencies.

Which I’m not gonna mock him for worrying. This was a concern for me too.

“Great lesson, Sparkle of Twilight.” I assured, my hoof taking hold of the other. “Can I go home?”

Twilight’s cheeks flushed. My phrasing had made the praise sound sarcastic.

The doctor stepped forward to Twilight. “You  _ seem  _ stable for now, Princess Raspberry. We’d feel more comfortable if you stayed the night for observation.”

I tensed. Thorax’s used the hoof already in my hair to wrap around my back to hold me closer to him.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I took comfort in the fact that at least Thorax was here. That my girls were alright. That Darcy would come home soon.

Thorax sighed. He pressed his muzzle against my hair. “I just wanna get out of here with the you and the girls, and go home.” He spoke softly.

My cheeks warmed while an idea came to me. “Home?” I asked, a teasing grin on my face.

Thorax stiffened. “Uh...I mean...your house. Let’s go to your house.”

“Or... _ Home _ .” I turned back to the doctor. “Doctor, what if I had a medical facility at my place?”

The doctor quirked his eyebrow. “Uh...” He turned to the Princesses, probably to see if I had such a thing. “I know you live in Ponyville, Princess Raspberry, I’m not sure your home has-”

“What if my place wasn’t in Ponyville?” I clarified. “My place is in another reality, Doctor. They have a medical facility just for me over there.” Now  _ both  _ his eyebrows were up. “Yeah. I do stupid stuff a lot there too. If I go there, and get checked up there, can I go?”

The doctor was still hesitant of this idea. Didn’t change the fact it was happening. “I would need the medical transcript when you returned.”

“Done. I’ll have it on your desk, first thing.” I promised.

He grimaced. He’d figured out I was gonna win this one. Behind him, Twilight was fighting back a smile. At my shoulders, Thorax was holding me tighter. “...alright.” I relaxed in Thorax’s hold. “But you’ll be on bed rest there as well! I want you to relax while in this...other world of yours! If your medical report says  _ anything  _ different we will have  _ words _ .”

I saluted him. “Roger that!”

“Fine.” The doctor huffed. He lifted up a clipboard. “Now...I need a family member to release you to.”

The Princesses tensed.

Thorax froze.

I only noticed because he was holding me tighter because of it. “Okay. I have two daughters outside-”

“Princess, this pony must be a legal adult.” The doctor explained.

“Okay...give me five minutes with that amulet, and I’ll have one.” I supplied.

The doctor gave me a look that said I was already pushing my luck.

“I’m a Princess, why do I need a family member?”

“Because I won’t feel confident in realising you otherwise.” The doctor replied.

I huffed in annoyance.

Thorax sighed in resignation. “I can sign. I’m her husband.”

My brain blue screened.

When I came back to focus maybe five minutes later, the room was empty. Well empty except for Thorax and I.

“...husband?” I asked him.

Thorax winced. “Yes.”

“...why do I have the horrible feeling that’s not you being cute, but you actually saying you’re my husband?”

“Because you’re a genius that I love so very, very much?” Thorax smiled cutely. Like, like too cute. The kind of cute a child would smile so you didn’t punish them for going skydiving without permission (yes Lilac tried and yes she was grounded for a week).

“Oh my Author. What. Did. You. Do?”

“Nothing!” Thorax lied. I glared up at him. “Okay nothing bad. Not really bad.”

I glared harsher. “What did you do? Did the others help- is that why they left? You and Thorne worked out some changeling political thing that got us married?”

“It wasn’t _ political-” _

“So you did admit it was a changeling thing!”

Thorax huffed. “Star can I just explain before you start panicking?”

“Who’s panicking? Not me. Even if I was- I think it’s justified! I just woke up to hear you calling yourself my husband!” I countered, curling up the sheets in my hooves.

Thorax paused. He pulled himself a chair, sitting closer to me. I didn’t look at him but I kept myself aware of his movements.

“Star- Ras-Morgan _ whichever _ please listen. It’ll all make sense when you hear it out. I hope.” Thorax pleaded.

My silence was a go ahead. My hooves were still clenched in the sheets, and I was letting my mane fall on the sides of my head. 

So Thorax began. “You were right. It’s because of me, I’m not going to deny it. I was...being a drone in love. Ponies do stupid stuff when they’re in love, and changelings aren’t  _ that _ different. Or at least  _ I’m _ not that different.” He paused for another moment. “There’s a changeling thing- where we can decide our family. We’re all related, in the Hive. It makes more sense to choose who we want as siblings- like a mini-Hive or a family. It’s...different with ponies. Apparently. They...they’re not changelings so they have no connection to the Hive, so they’re...added different.” He made a small grunt of annoyance. “I don’t know all of the answers. It’s different with you. It’s the first time it’s been done to a pony, I don’t know- I just don’t know. I’m not super smart like you.”

There was a heavy silence after that.

“I’m not mad.” I began, working hard to keep my jaw from clenching. Thorax started to protest. “I know I look mad but I’m not. It’s just- that’s a lot. At once. To take.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” I admitted, peeking from beneath my hair to look at Thorax’s face. “Really, I’m not. When you did it my mind went like- _ Error. Error. Raspberry not found. _ Because...not because I was mad it happened, but because I  _ liked it _ .”

Thorax was gaping at me now. “You...liked it?”

I nodded, worrying my lip in my teeth. “Yeah. Then the others left, and I got this idea that it wasn’t you just being cute or a culture difference. You  _ meant it _ . That’s when I started to panic, because I didn’t remember agreeing to that.”

Thorax made a noise of agreement. “I could feel it.” I must’ve tensed because he quickly added “Because I’m a changeling- not because of any connection we have. That’s- it’s not like _ that _ ...I don’t think.”

The scientist in me wanted to test it, see if it  _ could _ . However the realist in me was screaming  _ ‘can we just settle down for five fucking minutes please?! Before we do anything stupid like testing a marriage connection with a changeling?!’ _

“When did it happen?” I asked him instead.

Thorax’s green cheeks turned red. “...our first kiss.”

Not gonna lie, I started laughing after that. Thorax rolled his eyes- a fond smile on his face.

“Oh  _ no. _ ”

“Yeah I did.”

“Oh  _ man. _ I thought you were a dork  _ before _ -”

“I know, I know!”

For ages I continued to laugh.

“So...because of this connection- that you made  _ on our first date _ \- we’re more like husband and wife.”

“Yes.”

“Which is why you said-”

“Yeah...you’re taking it well.”

“Give me a few minutes. I think I’m in shock right now. I woke up from a magic coma, I’m allowed to be emotionally weird...also tired. Wanna come Home with me and the girls?”

Thorax smiled. A big smile that took up half of his face. He reached for my hoof. I welcomed it. 

“ _ Please _ .”

==DMLC==

Lilac and Cookie ran up to me when I came out from the hospital room.

Cookie climbed around my shoulders onto my back, her claws playing with my hair like a yarn ball. Lilac just kept holding me. I held her back.

Lilac was crying against me. I sniffles, quickly wiping at my cheek before hugging her again.

“I love you, princess.” I kissed her head.

Lilac sobbed. “Mom...you were gone so long.”

“I know, princess, I’m sorry.” I kissed her again. “Oh I’m so happy you’re both okay.”

Lilac hiccuped a sob.

Cookie hugged my head. “Mama who is he?”

I glanced to my side. Thorax was there, keeping distance from us but close enough to be with us.

“That’s Mister Thorax.” I answered. “You...knew him as Mister Bumblebee.”

“But Mister Bee was yellow!” Cookie argued.

Lilac turned her head to look at Thorax. She gasped, pushing herself against me to hide. “M-Mom what happened to Mr Bee?!”

Thorax nervously scoffed his hoof on the floor. “Lilac...Cookie...I’m actually a changeling.”

Lilac squeaked.

“Mama what’s a ‘ _ changing’ _ ?” Cookie asked.

“They can change their shape.” I explained as Lilac hugged my chest to hide. “They can turn into other ponies.”

To prove it, Thorax changed to his Bumblebee form.

Cookie gasped. “HE DID MAGIC!” Cookie cheered. She hopped off my back towards Thorax. He changed to his new form before Cookie could land. “MAMA DID YOU SEE?”

“I saw.” I looked down to Lilac. She was shaking. “Lilac, dearie-”

“Mom he’s a  _ changeling-” _

“He’s still Bumblebee. He’s just really called Thorax. Like how I’m Raspberry, and I’m really called Morgan.” I assured.

Lilac shook her head.

Thorax and I looked at each other. His expression dropped at Lilac’s reply. Cookie was playing with his wings so he kept her engaged. The fact that Lilac continued to ignore him must be awful to him.

It was gonna be a long road before we got to be a normal family.

_ Holy shit we’re a family. _

“Hey honey?” I squeaked.

“Yeah babe?” Thorax replied.

“Remember that thing I said wouldn’t hit me yet?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s hitting me out now.”


	25. Chapter 25

Darcy Anderson woke up to find her world just a few sizes too big.

She was running through her memories to figure out what happened. She could vaguely remember the past few months. It was like remembering a dream but one of those dreams you remember for the whole day, just that some key details are missing. Like, why  _ exactly  _ you were helping Old Man Marcus find his pet billy goat, when just a minute ago you were in a swimming race against a cougar.

Believe it not, that was actually one of Morgan’s dreams. Darcy’s dreams involved murder and/or sex.

Except this dream. The dream of the time from before. No sex or murder or anything. She was just...she was just...what was doing?

“Are you done being high?”

“Gah!” Darcy jumped. She reached for her weapon-a blade- or a gun?-arrows?-fucking toothpicks?!- only to find herself clean of them. She looked to where the voice came from in this too-big-to-be-normal room. 

Her sister.

Morgan.

She was older- looked it too. Not so much face wise- Darcy never judged her sister’s age on face value. Her eyes were older. Her shoulders were sagging lower, almost like a weight had fucking lifted off her shoulders. Darcy hadn’t seen the weight lift often- Morgan was an anxious bitch. Letting off the guilt was hard to do. For it to be off, Darcy would had to have been gone a long time.

“High?” Darcy snarked. “Look at you- taller than the fucking Chrysler building.”

Morgan snorted. “Is that an  _ ‘Annie’ _ joke?”

“Was the Chrysler part of Annie?”

“Hard Knocks Life.  _ ‘You’ll be here til this place shines like the Chrysler Building _ ’.” Morgan supplied.

“Then yeah, it was an  _ Annie _ joke.” Darcy grinned. Morgan laughed in relief. “Okay but really why are you so tall?”

“I’m not tall- well I am usually, damn my 5’10 height and bless your  _ usual  _ 5’9- it’s just you’re- hmm- as is usual with us, you’re shorter than me.” Morgan explained.

Darcy hated when Morgan was doing her rambling answer thing. It was worse when Morgan was  _ smug _ .

Darcy looked herself over. She was sitting up in a big cushion chair. Darcy patted her hand down on it twice. She remembered this seat. Morgan had it moved to the Weapons Vault after Darcy shot a hole in the back of the seat, then patched it up with a tear from her jeans.

“I’m...tiny.”

Morgan snorted, catching the second snort in her mouth. “Fun size. Mini size.”

Darcy- with dawning horror- looked down at the chair again. More specifically her arms on the chair.

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“I brought back my old doll body.” Morgan chirped in a sing-song voice. “You’re taking it for a joyride.”

Darcy shook her head. “No- nonono. You- You’re bullshitting me! I’m not a doll again!”

Morgan laughed.

“Mother fucker!” Darcy started to laugh. She ran her plastic hands over her face. “Author you’re such a cunt.”

Morgan laughed harder. She had to lean against the wall behind her to keep from falling over. Darcy laughed hard with her.

When the laughter faded off, Darcy saw Morgan had tear streaks on her face. Darcy chose not to comment.

“I died, didn’t I?” Darcy stated.

Morgan sucked her lips. “Yep.” She popped.

“How long?” Darcy asked.

Morgan nodded her head, looking away from Darcy. “Five years.”

Darcy swore. “You’re 200?”

“Nearly.” Morgan cheered, in an almost sad voice. “The birthday is tomorrow.”

Darcy hummed.

Morgan held up her wrist, showing off the silver bracelet. “Don’t worry. You’re not gonna be  _ stuck  _ in the doll body. I stole the Reality Gauntlet from  _ Danny Phantom _ , so I can just change yo back to your human body.”

“Did you use the Heart of Damballa?” Darcy realized.

Morgan paused. “Well you weren’t using it.”

“Morgue! You idiot!” Darcy hopped out of her chair. She ran to Morgan’s side, reaching knee height. “That is voodoo! You don’t go into voodoo! Has my origin movie taught you nothing?!”

“It was the only thing that could get you back, so yeah I used voodoo.” Morgan countered. She was glaring sternly at her sister. “It took me three months to find that stupid pendant- and it turns out it had been stolen from Tiffany’s new mansion. The guy who stole it- he brought it to Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings. She used it- along with the lives of  _ everypony I knew _ -including my girls- as leverage against  _ me _ . So yeah. After all the BS I went through to get it, I was gonna use it!”

Darcy stared. “Did you just call me your girl?”

Morgan huffed. “No. I adopted another kid.”

Darcy snorted. “You making a habit of that?”

“Maybe.” Morgan shrugged. “Give it another decade.”

The twins sat in silence for a moment. Darcy tried to pick apart all the info that’s been dumped. Dead for five years Morgan time. She’d adopted another kid- a girl. Chrysalis had come back with a sound plan against Morgan.

“You said someone stole it from Tiff’s house and it ended up in  _ Equestria?” _ Darcy realized.

Morgan nodded. Solemn.

Darcy dropped her plastic jaw. “How?” Morgan didn’t answer. “Not one of your guys?”

“Yeah.”

“Which one?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“Bullshit!” Darcy stomper her foot. She glared up at her sister. “Make me a person. I’ll hunt the bastard down! He crossed us- got the girls taken! He should burn in Hell!” Darcy ranted. “I’ll have his name in an hour.”

“We already have that.” Morgan admitted.

Now Darcy was plain confused. “...the fuck? What do you  _ mean _ -”

The door to the room opened. “Hey Star did you wake her- _ GAH! Moving doll!” _

A man had walked inside the Vault. The door opening turned on the inside lights. It shined a light in the room itself. They weren’t in the Vault like Darcy. The room looked like an office Morgan would have- a lot of couches, a desk covered in colorful pens and at least ten Pop Vinyls, walls painted raspberry pink, and windows blocked with blue starry curtains. 

As for the man he was weird. Darcy didn’t recognize him. Tall, green hair, black clothes, fucking  _ antlers _ on his head. 

Darcy turned to her sister. Morgan had her face in her hand.

“Bee.” Morgan groaned. “I said stay  _ out.” _

“L-living doll?!” The man waved his arms towards Darcy.

Morgan flocked her wrist.

In a flash of yellow, Darcy found her world  _ much  _ smaller. 

“Tw-_wo_ _of you.”_

“Hence why it’s called a  _ twin _ .” Morgan deadpanned.

Darcy ran her hands along her body. It was a relief to feel warm skin instead of not plastic. “Wow. I took a warm body for granted. Also being tall. Fuck I like being tall.” She nodded her head at the man. “Who’s the beefcake?” Darcy asked, eyeing the man.

Morgan and the man laughed nervously. The man looked at her sister, as if for permission. She gave it.

“I’m a changeling. My name’s Thorax.” He introduced himself.

Darcy gave him a quick look. “Uhh. Changelings don’t usually look that hot.”

“Yeah. I got an upgrade after I slept with your sister.” He admitted before immediately turning red.

Darcy gasped, hands flying to her face. Morgan was blushing, hiding behind her hands again.

“Seriously, Bee?” Morgan groaned. Thorax winced.

“Oh my Storyline. Why didn’t I see it? You’ve got the glow!”

“The what?”

“The  _ ‘I Got Nailed So Fucking Hard’ _ glow!” Darcy screamed in delight. She hopped up and down. “This guy is your  _ boyfriend _ !”

“...yeah okay he is.” Morgan replied. Thorax looked at her in surprise.

“How long have you known him?! Just how long was I gone before you fucked him?”

“It’s been...about two months.” Morgan answered.

“ _ ...how? _ ”

“I’m 200, not a  _ nun _ .” Morgan scoffed.

“You were in my lifetime!” Darcy argued, astonished.

“That was the past. This is the future.” Morgan reminded. 

“I died and you were a virgin. I come back and you’re a whore. Nothing can ruin my day!”

“There’s still no Deadpool movie.”

“This ruins my day!” Darcy complained. She flopped down in the cushy chair.

“Did you have to tell her that?” Thorax asked.

“I could’ve said anything. Watch.” Morgan giggled. She cleared her throat. “2+2 still equals 4.”

Darcy flopped around in the chair. She pounded her fists against the arm rests. “That ruins my day!”

“The square root of green is yellow.”

“That ruins my day!”

Thorax laughed in excitement. Like a kid being promised a lollipop. “Let me try. The moon doesn’t have a bunny on it.”

Darcy paused to figure that one out. “...this ruins my day!”

Morgan wolf whistled.“You catch on fast.”

“Yeah. I’m impressed too.” Thorax beamed at the praise.

Darcy sat up. She brushed her hair to the side, out of her face. Gah her sister brought her back with  _ post-fuck _ hair. “Your boyfriend is an idiot.”

“Actually, I’m her husband.” Her sister face palmed. The man turned to her. “Oh. I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?”

“Okay. Hold on. You wouldn’t even admit to being bi. Now you’re married, and having sex?”

“Bi?” The man asked.

“Likes girls and boys.” Darcy supplied. The man looked to Morgan with a quirked eyebrow. “Whoopsi. Did I spill the beans?”

“Just for that, you don’t get to know what we did at IKEA yesterday.” Morgan stated. The man laughed.

“Whuh-What’d you do?” Darcy asked. 

“Sis, it’s  _ our  _ birthday tomorrow. Don’t we get to have a little fun?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah and tell me about the fun!” Darcy demanded. “Right now! Do it!”

“Please don’t tell her.” Thorax begged Morgan. “I don’t want people knowing.”

Morgan scoffed. “You think I do?”

“Now you have to tell me!”

Morgan laughed. “Or I could give you your birthday present  _ early _ .”

“You don’t need to give me a gift. Hearing how you lost your virginity, that’s a gift.”

Morgan tilted her head. “So you  _ don’t  _ want this?” She pulled something out from a closet.

Darcy gasped when she saw what it was. “You got me the guitar!”

“A Gibson Les Paul, Custom Wine Red, circa 1976.” Morgan listed. “Guy said it was good. Beyond that I don’t know how the fuck it works.”

Darcy ran up to her sister. Morgan handed over the 

“Why not give it to her sooner?”

“Cause I thought she’d shatter the guitar.” Morgan reasoned. “She was emotional after she woke up.”

“I would have!” Darcy admitted with a laugh. She played a few chords, happy to feel life flowing through her hands. “This has great weapons for on the fly murder.”

Thorax blinked. He turned to Morgan. “I’m the normal one, aren’t I?”

Morgan and Darcy laughed. It was the happiest minute they’d had in a long time.


	26. Chapter 26

_ “So...what the hell do we do now?” _

_ “Same thing we do at every party, sestra. We fuck that shit up.” _

==DMLC==

The big night was finally here.

Our sweet sixteen.

(Technically I was turning 200 and Darcy was turning 46, but who cares)

(Obviously me but who else?)

This birthday was already the best ever. I introduced Darcy to her new niece. The griffin grabbed Darcy in the tightest chokehold I’d ever seen. Darcy-once she could breathe- said Cookie was a good fit.

Lilac cried when she’d seen her aunt. (Darcy cried too. She’d deny it till her dying day.) Thorax was trying not to cry, which only made him start bawling on my shoulder when Darcy hugged her nieces. 

Telling the Spencer’s Darcy was back had been a whole other thing. Mom and Dad hadn’t been happy with it. In their minds Darcy has died, and she was gone. Nothing else about it. Her revival had thrown a wrench, so I held back the note about how she’d been brought back. My brothers were happy for me, plus they thought Darcy was cool so whatever.

As for the Traveler community, I decided to wait until the party to reintroduce her. Plus Darcy was gonna have a dramatic entrance for herself so it’d save me the trouble of doing it. What are sisters for?

Right now, Darcy and I were in my office hiding. We’d gone Traveling for a while, birthday places we wanted to see. 

After coming back from the  _ Doctor Who  _ world (we’d been there five hours, cutting it close), Darcy finally took a look around my office.

I’d done it up to be like  _ Sixteen Candles _ . It was a bit gaudy but it fit the day.

Darcy hummed. “So...you can make it look like  _ anything _ ?”

I sat up on the pink pull out couch bed. “Kinda...yeah.” Flashing her the Reality Bracelet, I watched the gems sparkle. “Perks of being a thief.”

Darcy cheered. “Told you being a thief was cool.” She looked at couch, sneering. “Can we make it less...pink?”

With a flash of yellow, the room changed shape. Now it was covered in blood splatter, dark furniture, and black curtains. The pullout couch changed from pink and fluffy to black and leather. Over the door was a sign for Mrs Lovett’s pie shop.

Darcy nodded in approval. “ _ This... _ is such a wasted opportunity.” She turned to me, hopping up off the couch. “You are really under using your crown.” Darcy warned me.

I snorted, putting my hand on my hip. “And how am I doing that, Darcy?”

“This is basically your palace, right? Is there a Dominos pizza here?” Darcy asked. “Or a Dunkin Donuts? Is there a bowling alley? Is there a bowling alley with a Dominos and a Dunkin donuts for concessions?”

“I am grossly under using my crown.” Darcy laughed.

“So use the bracelet and give us free pizza! It’s like my birthday present!”

“I already brought you back to life. You want  _ more _ ?” She nodded. 

So I clicked my fingers.

It changed again, from dark and blood spattered to a bowling alley. There was a pizza display case in the corner of the room, with a donut cart next to it. My desk had changed into a checkout counter. 

At our feet, bowling balls.

My sister picked up a dark red 9 pounder. She smirked. “Ready to get your ass beat?”

I picked up the pink 8 pounder. “Maybe in your  _ dreams _ , sis.”

==DMLC==

Hours later, after Darcy beat me 102 to 79, Rarity came for our hair and makeup.

The bowling alley had changed to a hair parlor. This was Rarity’s new favorite room design I could tell. 

Rarity had seen the outfit for me ages ago. Darcy’s recently selected outfit was throwing in a wrench. Rarity took in it stride. 

She set us down in front of two vanities, each covered in makeup and hair styling products.

She was brushing out Darcy’s hair before starting the styling. My hair had been brushed earlier so it only needed the styling. While Rarity was working on hair, she suggested I work on makeup. Which meant I sat perfectly still while Rarity’s magic worked on my makeup.

My phone pinged with a text. It was 

“Tell your boytoy that sex is for the after-party” Darcy teased.

“Nah, it’s not him. He’s watching the kids.” I reminded her. “Just Jimmy texting me.”

“Jimmy? Ooh-la-la. You two timing whore.” Darcy put a hand over her heart. “So proud.”

I laughed. “No, it’s not like that. Jimmy Cipes, from kindergarten?”

Darcy dropped her jaw. It was probably from shock, but Rarity  _ had  _ brushed hard at her hair again. “ _ Cipes _ ? Oh his last name was Cipes, that’s great. You found Jim?”

“He’s a  _ Traveler. _ ” I revealed. Rarity’s magic was painting my nails to match the outfit we’d picked.

“Well fuck me up the ass.” Darcy slumped in her seat. Rarity pulled hard on her hair. “Ouch!”

“Being fucked on the ass  _ does  _ hurt.” I teased.

“Shut up.” Darcy glared over her shoulder towards Rarity. “That hurt.”

“Stop slouching, then it will hurt less.” Rarity remarked. She brushed out a few more tangles. “There. All brushed. Now, do we want your hair in waves or braids?”

“I will braid my hair when pigs fly-no wait, do braids. I wanna be like a Dwarf.” Darcy beamed at me. “Dwarves get braids when they do cool shit. Coming back from the dead counts as a cool thing.”

I snorted. “With how often you’ve died, that’s not an achievement. That’s a Tuesday.”

Darcy laughed hard at the joke.

Rarity hummed. “Braids then.” Her blue magic began sorting Darcy’s black locks. She turned to me. “Morgan?”

“Thinking fancy curls. I’d  _ rock  _ the Shirley Temple curls.” I answered.

“No, well yes but not yet. I was asking what Jimmy was asking for.” Rarity’s magic powered as she finished a braid on Darcy’s head.

“Ah!” Looking at the text again, I remembered that I hadn’t answered his text either. “He’s asking if he can go with me to the party.”

“Awesome!” Darcy cheered, looking at her finished braid. Rarity got started on the next one. “As for Jim there, text him he can come with me-”

“BETTER IDEA!” I shouted. Moving the phone, I put it in selfie mode. “KATElynn WITH A K GET IN HERE!”

The door opened. Katelynn walked in. “What’s up?”

“Come take a selfie with us!” I cheered.

She shrugged, walking towards us.

Darcy chuckled. “Can’t believe you have an assistant.”

Katelynn settled between us, putting an arm over my shoulders and a hand on Darcy’s. “Could be worse, could be her sister. Least my job pays better.”

Darcy laughed. “I like you.”

“Okay, okay. Shut up. About to take the picture.” I chided.

Katelynn and I smiled at the camera, Darcy held up her middle finger while smirking. Snapping the picture I sent it to Jimmy.

_ ‘Perfect! We’re almost done with hair and stuff. See you at the party! K excited to see you!’ _

With the message sent, I beamed at Katelynn. “So you ask him yet?” She sighed. “Katelynn with a K! Go get him!”

“No!” She ran her handover his blushing face. “Morgue it’s too-”

“Wait hold on.” Darcy sat up straighter. Rarity tsked in complaint, before getting to the hair itself. “ _ You  _ want to date Jimmy?” Katelynn blushed harder, then nodded. “Why is everyone around me such a prude? Just go and ask the boy!”

“Well you’re from the seventies, when it was normal to be a slut.” I reasoned.

Darcy sighed, frowning. “Why was  _ that  _ the tradition to die?”

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to Katelynn. “Don’t worry. You just get all extra pretty, so that when Jimmy gets here he’ll be blown away by you.”

“But it’s your birthday.”

“I’m already sharing the spotlight with that whore.” Darcy waved her fingers as Rarity finished another braid. “Sharing with you won’t be a hardship.”

Katelynn smiled kindly.

My own kind smile dropped as apparently Rarity had finished with Darcy’s hair, and moved on to mine. “Ow!” She was using the curling iron to curl my hair the right way, and she was pulling hard on the hair.

Darcy laughed. “Vengeance is sweet!”

“Oh shut up! At least  _ I  _ have a date before you!”

Darcy frowned. Then grinned as I winced as Rarity grabbed another lock of hair to curl.

==DMLC==

When hair and makeup was done, Rarity made sure we had everything we needed for our outfits. I’d texted Thorax to send the girls up so we could get started on their outfits too. The party was starting soon, but Darcy and I were told to come late to give everyone time to settle in the party room.

Darcy was wearing a black cocktail dress with a bright red shawl jacket that was held together by a single gold button. It was the one thing keeping Mrs Spencer from complaining about the outfit. Her boots were long a black, and her jewelry was black leather bracelets with spikes. I’d given her back the lollipop neck, so she was happy to have that back.

My own outfit was a bright pair of black tight jeans with bedazzled pockets. The top was a dark pink camisole shirt covered with black lace. The sleeves were black lace to my elbow. Rarity had tried to squeeze me into a pair of heels, I told her I wanted loafers. We compromised and I wore loafers (my birthday, my shoes).

Lilac wore a simple purple dress. Her hair had been brushed to curl at the end. Cookie was dressed in a dark green dress that looked ragged but fashionable (or that’s what Rarity said). Her hair was too wild too contain so we left it.

Rarity was near crying at seeing all of us. We all rolled our eyes at her dismay.

The door opened ten minutes before we were supposed to be downstairs. Thorax walked in. He was in his new changeling form, with a fancy purple bowtie around his neck.

“We really need to get-whoa.” Thorax gawked at me. He walked up to my side, wrapping a wing over my shoulder. He continued to stare, stunned.

“Same to you, babe.” I winked at him. My arm wrapped around his neck to bring him closer.

Darcy tsked. She whacked me upside my head. At my yelp of pain, she tsked again. “Quit being romantics.” She turned to the door, where Katelynn stood in a yellow sundress. “Hey your future boytoy come yet?”

Katelynnn gave her a flat look. “...he’s downstairs.” She admitted with a blush.

I squeaked happily. Thorax copied me, smiling wide to prove he was just as happy as me.

“I’m gonna meet Jimmy!” Thorax cheered. “Oh I’m excited to meet more humans.” He turned to Katelynn. “I’ve met so many today, it’s really exciting!”

Katelynn turned to me. “Has he met Missus Straus yet?” I shook my head. “Your parents?” I shook my head again. “Gonna wait til the party? You’re brave.”

“Parents?” Thorax turned to me. “Babe, you said your parents were dead.”

“I also said I was a unicorn from Equestria. There are a lot of lies in our relationship, honey.” I kissed his cheek. Thorax grinned at the praise while Darcy and Cookie gagged. Well Cookie gagged for a second before giggling, which told me Darcy had told her to do it. Pulling out my phone, I texted Jimmy to come upstairs. “Alright. Jimmy’s on his way. Thorax we still have to work out a few things about you being here.”

“In the building I can be a changeling, outside I have to be a person.” Thorax repeated what I told him earlier.

“Wow. You’ve got him trained.” Darcy praised. I winked at her.

“Mom, what does that mean?” Lilac asked.

“Only that Mister Thorax listens to Mom, unlike your aunt.” I answered. Darcy stuck her tongue out at me.

Thorax draped a wing over my shoulders. “Okay but seriously- your parents?! I didn’t know I was going to meet your parents. Why did  _ nopony _ tell me I was meeting her parents?”

“Don’t worry, Mister Thorax!” Lilac cheered. “Grandma and Grandpa are okay. Grandma might just be angry at Mom for not telling, and Grandpa will...he’s a big teddy bear!”

Thorax squeaked. “Oooh I’ve met big teddy bears.” He grinned at me, but the smile was tensed and shaking. “H-He’s not sc-scary yeah?”

I smiled that smile back. “Jimmy here yet?” My voice was more a squeak than anything.

“He-ere.” Jimmy’s voice came from the door.

“Jimmy! Good.” Walking away from Thorax, I saw Jimmy standing at the door beside a gobsmacked Katelynn. He was dressed in a dark green button up, with black slacks. I smiled in relief. “Really good you made it. Jimmy, you saw Darcy on the phone. That’s Katelynn with a K, you remember her. Ain’t her dress pretty? Tell her it’s pretty.”

“Y-yeah. It’s-it’s pretty.” Jimmy looked over my outfit, before turning to look at Katelynn. “Pretty, yeah.”

“Perfect! Oh and that’s Thorax, my boyfriend.”

“Hello human male!” Thorax waved a hoof. “Wow. I didn’t know humans had so few mane colors.”

“Yep, we’re a closeted bunch of genes.” I remarked. “Now it’s time for the game plan!”

“B-boyfriend?” Jimmy asked. “You have a boyfriend? A  _ character _ boyfriend? From Equestria? Since when?”

“Since oh...two months ago.” I realized. “Or was it three? I’m thinking three.”

“It was two.” Thorax piped in.

“Yeah but I lived away from Equestria for another month in between all of that, so three.” I corrected.

“For Author’s sake, what’s the fucking Plan?” Darcy complained. My kids gasped at her language.

“Right! The girls are going to sit at my table, play some of the games I got for them if they get bored. Worse comes to worse, I told Tracy to bring Cookie back up here. Lilac you can do what you want, you’re double digits.” Lilac cheered. Darcy gave her a high five. “Katelynn with a K, Jimmy, you two go have fun. Neither of you have any Traveler obligations or the like. Just be two cute kids.” Katelynn beamed in excitement. Jimmy, however, looked stunned. “Don’t worry. Pinkie planned this, there’ll be fun stuff for you too.”

“And me, I’m hoping. Like real drinks.” Darcy added.

“Pinkie made sure of that once I told her you’d be at the party.” I assured. “Also, she added pin-the-tail-on-the-pony-”

“Ugh.”

“-but the tail is a knife and the pony is a body.”

“Ooh.”

“Knew you’d like that.” I clicked my tongue at her. “Thorax, babe, sugar, sweetheart, your job is not to die tonight after meeting my parents also to keep them from killing me. Sound good?”

“Depends, will you be doing any of the...uh...interference?”

“Why would I?”

“I did when you met my mother as my wife!” Thorax interrupted.

“That was different, your mom is a bitch that tried to kill me.”

“Your mother might do the same!”

“Ha! That’s funny. She wouldn’t kill you, just hit you with her purse.” 

Jimmy spoke up. “You said boyfriend-”

“Changeling thing. By his people’s laws, we’re married.” I glared at him. “We still need to talk about that.”

Thorax blushed.

“Alright. Partytime!” I cheered. “Stardusts, move out!”

==DMLC==

Lilac was off about, meeting the children of the dignitaries at the party. Some had come from the other side of the planet to attend the party of their new Princess. Lilac wanted to make friends so I thought she should. 

Everyone was surprised when Darcy walked in beside me. The looks on their faces were worth the effort it took to bring Darcy back. She took the admiration in stride, inviting everyone to drink on the Center’s tab. IE: mine.

In fact everyone was so caught in up that, they hardly noticed Thorax’s entrance. All in all, a good thing.

Well everyone except my parents.

Yeah they noticed that.

They walked up to me, not even waiting a few minutes for me to thank Pinkie Pie (like a proper hostess/Princess) before pouncing on us.

“Morgan, who is this?” Mom insisted, smiling too politely.

“Thorax, these are my parents, Sarah and Lathan Spencer.” I introduced. Thorax tensed by my side. He stretched out a hoof to them. Mom shook his hoof. “Mom, Dad, this is Thorax. My boyfriend.”

Dad had just grabbed Thorax’s hoof when I said that. Thorax winced at the grip. “Boyfriend, you say?”

“Yep.” Thorax squeaked.

“And how long, exactly, have you and my daughter been dating?”

“By my- my time, two months, Mr Stardust sir. Spencer! I meant Spencer. Sorry hard to think with how tight you’re holding my hoof.” Thorax admitted. “ _ Wow _ humans are strong.”

Dad let his hoof go, still glaring at Thorax. “And how did you two meet?”

“I kicked him in the face.” Was my answer.

Thorax blanched. “Really? That’s the story you’re telling everyone?”

“It’s the story that’s true.” I countered, daring him to challenge that in front of my parents. Thorax conceded. “He’s a really nice guy. He loves the girls, and has proven he’ll protect them against you know, bad things.”

Dad hummed. He gave Thorax a once over. “Morgan he’s a horse.”

“Changeling!” Thorax quickly correctly. In a flash of green fire, there was a human standing next to me. Granted a human with big orange antlers but a human all the same. He looked to me, exactly as Human Bumblebee, only without the yellow skin and black hair. This human had pale skin, with the brightest green hair anyone had ever seen. “Changeling, sir. We can change shape so I’m not a horse all the time.”

“Oh. That’s nice.” Mom complimented, thin. She gave me an appraising look. “A horse that can turn into another horse.”

“Mom, give him some credit. He’s not turning into a goat.” I countered. “Or a frog.”

“B-but I could, if you wanted me to.” Thorax informed them. At my huff he added “That didn’t help, did it?” After a shake of my head, Thorax turned to Dad. “Sorry sir. I’m just nervous. Starry told me her parents were dead!”

I made a noise of distress. “How did you make it  _ worse _ ?”

“You told him we were  _ dead _ ?”

“Morgan what does he mean  _ dead?” _

“Oh look it’s Pinkie Pie! Come on Thorax, let’s go say hello!” 

As I dragged my boyfriend away from my complaining parents, I leaned in.

“You know I love you and that’s the only reason I saved you, right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Now let’s go enjoy a party. Hi Pinkie.”

“Hiya!”

==DMLC==

The next twenty minutes or so was full of Pinkie bringing me up to the various out of country guests, and those from Equestria. Twilight and the girls were happy enough with showing the humans some Equestria party games, as well as Applejack’s home made snacks. Suffice to say that my friends were as popular as I were, and wouldn’t twelve year old me just cry hearing that?

As for the other guests, everything was going great on that. They were all happy with the party, meeting me, and meeting Thorax. For those that had met Darcy, I had apologies all prepared beforehand but apparently they all thought she was a delight.  _ ‘Something to write home about’ _ .

Yeah probably a joke about how wild and crazy Americans are. They were mostly positive and about Darcy so I’d let it slide with a relieved sigh.

Of course by that time, Pinkie brought me to Tracy. Who was freaking out.

“What is your sister wearing?”

“A dress.” I answered, an arm around Thorax’s neck. He was holding a plate of finger cakes and strawberries in his magic, floating them by my mouth occasionally.  _ ‘Darcy was right, it pays to have eye candy at a party’ _ . Thorax gave me another strawberry as I waved a hand toward Darcy, who was currently chatting up with some of the dignitaries from France. “What’s the problem? The dress has sleeves.”

“That dress is too short!” Tracy hissed in a low voice.

I snorted. “It passes the fingertip test.”

Tracy laughed, without joy. “Oh the fingertip? Why didn’t you say so?” She glared at me. “Your sister is making a  _ joke _ out of us.”

“That’s part of her charm.” I assured. “You’ll get used to her.” Finishing off the strawberry, I turned to Thorax. “Honey, could I have a finger cake?”

“Sure!” He floated a small cake to my hand. To call them cupcakes was generous, these things were smaller than a pack of mints.

“Thank you!” To Tracy’s irritation, I took a bite out of the cake while looking her in the eye. “Sorry what else were you complaining?”

She huffed like a bull. “Your sister needs to leave, and come back dressed more appropriately.”

I snorted.

“Or at least not dressed as a whore.”

Thorax tensed beside me. He levitated the snacks away from my increasingly reddened face.

Now later, I would say I was still annoyed at my parents treatment of Thorax, or something else equally as excuse worthy. To Darcy I would say I’d been holding back yelling at Tracy since meeting the woman. This was long overdue.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SISTER?!” I raged.

“YOU HEARD ME!” Tracy shouted back. “I said, your sister is a whore!”

“Yes she is! But that doesn’t mean she should  _ leave _ her own _ birthday party! _ ” I shouted.

“She’s not dressed appropriately!” Tracy shouted again.

“If I waited for her to dress right to take her anymore, I’d never leave the house!”

“You never do!”

Thorax stepped in between us. “Uh, ladies? We’re getting a  _ lot  _ of people looking at us.”

“Shut up.” Tracy snapped at him.

“Hey! That’s _ my boyfriend! _ ” I slapped her face. At her enraged face I turned to Thorax. “But she was right, honey, shut up.”

“Yes ma’am.” Thorax replied instantly.

“You slapped me!” Tracy gasped.

“And I’ll do it again.” I warned her. “Without an ounce of guilt, if you  _ ever _ do that again.”

She scoffed in disgust. “No wonder your daughter-”

“DON’T YOU  _ DARE  _ SAY ANYTHING ABOUT LILAC!” I shouted before she could bury her grave. Thorax huffed angrily at my side, his antlers glowing brighter with magic. “You know what? Just walk away before-”

“What did she say about Lilac?” Darcy asked in a dark voice, appearing at my side.

“-before this happens.” I sighed. “Doesn’t matter. I shut her up before she could say it.”

Darcy narrowed her eyes at the stunned silent Tracy. “Nu-uh. This squirrely thing had more to say.” She took a step closer. “So go ahead. What were you saying about my niece?”

Tracy swallowed whatever bit of her lunch that had made it’s way back up her throat. “Miss Anderson, I think it’s time you-”

“Get it right.” Darcy stopped her. “My sister is Crown Princess. Queen if you wanna get into it, since she’s above the legal age of 18 by a lot. We’re having her 200th birthday for fuck’s sake.  _ I _ am fucking  _ Lady _ Darcy Anderson, that’s what it says on the documents Morgan had me signing this morning for an hour. Now.  _ Try again.” _

Tracy grit her teeth. Fear still present but quieting under a cloud of anger. 

“Mom don’t kill my new friend’s mom!” Lilac cried out as she ran up to the battle.

It was like someone had hit pause on us. A record stopping could be heard in my ears, but that could’ve been my imagination.

(Or not, Discord had been invited to the party)

Tracy was the first to find her voice, probably because she’d been about to scold Darcy for something or other. “Your what?” 

A second child ran up, around Lilac’s age but that was where differences ended. The child was a prime example of what would happen if a ten year old became emo. Long black hair with bangs about to cover an eye. She was dressed like the Winter Soldier, except that movie hadn’t come out yet and I only knew about it because of the Doctor  _ (go time travel). _ She was pale too, like too pale to be considered human. Thorax was just a pale which proves my point. I don’t know how she did it, but her eyes were just dark brown enough that you could tell they weren’t just all pupil.

“Mackenzie?!” Tracy yelped. “Wha-what are you doing?”

“It was her.” The named child pointed at Lilac. Lilac was looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Whatever Miss Tracy said, it wasn’t meant to be mean!” Lilac begged. “Please don’t hurt her!”

“I wasn’t gonna hurt her!” I replied, still surprised. “Did you say Tracy’s kid was your friend?”

“Tracy reproduced?!” Darcy asked.

“Yeah!” I agreed. “That!”

Tracy huffed. “Come on, Mackenzie, we’re leaving.”

“Mom it’s  _ Mack!”  _ The child correctly, stomping her foot. “And I’m not leaving! I’m staying for the Princess’ party like you promised I would!”

“Yeah!” Lilac begged. “Please Miss Tracy? Mack told me you weren’t a demon spawn! Probably!”

“Lilac!” Mack and I gasped at her.

“Don’t snitch!” Mack added.

“Don’t-” Mack stole the words out of my mouth. “You know what? The kids can stay. Lilac needs more friends.”

“I like this plan.” Darcy added. She clicked her tongue at Mack, to Tracy’s further rage. “You’re a cool kid. Nice costume.”

“Winter Soldier.” Mack boasted. She held up her arm sleeve, rushing up to Darcy and ignoring her mother’s angry orders. “See? They even got the sleeve right!”

Darcy hummed. She looked up at me with a  _ ‘this kid is so cool how can she be related to that thing’ _ look. A specific look but it paid off. I nodded in agreement.

“Did I stop Mom from killing her?” Lilac asked Thorax.

“You did your best, kid.” Thorax praised. “Except I think your friend did that by existing.”

“Winter Soldier...which one was that again?”

“Movie comes out-”

“Next year!” Mack cheered in excitement. “And I’m so excited for it! Even if mom says she won’t let me go.”

“You watch Marvel?”

“Now you gotta listen to us talk about when we went there.”

“Shut up! You didn’t!” Mack replied in awe.

“I was Night Mistress, daughter of Tony Stark.”

Mack squeaked in delight.

Which was the biggest sign that Mackenzie was gonna be a good friend to the Stardust family for years to come.

==DMLC==

Twilight Sparkle found me later that night, trying to pull Cookie away from my gifts.

Honestly they belonged to me and this shape shifted cat should understand!

“Hello Morgan.” She laughed. “I was going to ask how your night was going, only I see it’s normal for you.”

“Got into a fight, was scolded by mom and dad, and Lilac set the candles on fire. Even though I told Pinkie Pie not to make them trick candles, there they were. On fire again.” I shook my head, ruffling Cookie’s hair. The entire time I’d been talking she was crawling around my body.

Twilight snorted at us. “Yes. What a shame, for her to blow out your candles after you told her you could.”

“Well I was done with ‘em!” I excused. “And Darcy was only using them to burn Thorax’s skin, so everyone’s happy!”

There was a long pause.

“Everyone’s happy.” I kissed Cookie on the head, moving her head so she was looking Pinkie Pie’s direction. “Hey I think she has a toy for you.”

“Toy!” Cookie pushed her way out of my arms, running towards the pink human.

Once she made a good distance away, Twilight sat down beside me. “Morgan?”

“Everyone’s happy, Twilight.” I repeated. “Do you know how rare that is? I have my family, and we’re all happy. I have a boyfriend- or husband, it’s still confusing-, two beautiful daughters, my sister is alive. None of the Equestrians hate me- not even Shining Armor which still confuses me. The Changelings are  _ friends _ to us now. They named Thorax ambassador to the Changelings and Humans! Who does that?”

“Queen Thorne really liked the two of you.” Twilight answered easy enough. “Not to say the rest of us  _ dis _ liked you but it was just- eh...”

“Haha, don’t worry Sparkle of Twilight. I won’t tell anyone you’re a massive dork.” I sat down in a nearby chair.

Looking over to the party, I saw Thorax showing Lilac, Mack, and other guests all the things he could shift into. Darcy was showing Mom and Dad that _ yes _ the dress passed fingertips.

“Morgan?”

“Yeah?”

“You say everyone’s happy...does that include you?”

“Yes it does.” I answered without hesitating. Glancing back to the pile of gifts, I sighed.

Twilight winced. “Are you sure?”

“Yes I am.” Came my assurance. “Which is why I’m thinking...there’s still unanswered questions. I shouldn’t be happy right now.”

“Morgan.” Twilight sighed. 

“Garfield Logan is still out there, and he took Thorax’s sister just to get at me. To show that he’d taken both our sisters away and if he wanted he could take much worse because we have no idea who he really is.” I stressed. “But I’m telling myself to be happy tonight, for just one night, because there needs to be one night before I go back to this demented hell of a search. I even got revenge on my childhood bully! I should give myself one night.”

“You- what did you do to Seth?” Twilight asked.

“Told his mom on him.” I shrugged. “Nothing in the grand scheme, but meh. The child in me is satisfied. That and I’m at a birthday party with a guy from Spain who looks like when the genetics win. Do you see his chin?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re a mess.”

“Probably.” Then I grabbed Twilight’s hand, pulling her back to the party. “Pinkie Pie! Play some party music! It’s too slow in here!”

The party pony popped up behind Twilight, making the unicorn yelp. “You got it, Morgan!”

As soon as Pinkie vanished, music filled the large hall.

Twilight walked up to my side. She listened to the song start before glaring at me, good naturedly. “You think you’re funny.”

“Correction: I  _ know _ I’m funny. Also I know that I have a partner to dance with- he just turned into a woman.” My brain shut down again.

Cause, cause he turned into a  _ pretty _ woman. With long golden hair, eyes so blue I could see them from across the room, and a skin that glowed with the sun. And a glittering raspberry pink dress that hugged Thorax’s new hourglass curves but showed off the strong arms that could drag me all around the place if he so wished it.

Twilight giggled.

Oh, guess I said that outloud.

“I’m gonna flirt with my wife- _ I meant dance with my boyfriend.” _

“Don’t worry, Morgan, I won’t tell anyone you’re a massive dork.” Twilight teased as I ran off to give Thorax a big kiss.

Unfortunately he (she?) turned his (her?) head at the last second, so I kissed his (her?) cheek.

==DMLC==

Except across the room, where a boy with dark eyes watched Morgan happily dancing with a changeling Thorax.

The longer he watched, the darker his eyes became. Until they were a full black.


	27. Chapter 27

The party was coming to a close. The twins said it was nearly midnight, and they wanted everyone not immediate family or a close friend to leave. A lot of the guests left.

Except in one little room, far above the party, where two people waited.

==DMLC==

“Yes Cookie. Bedtime.”

“I don’t  _ wanna _ !” Cookie complained. She fidgeted in my arms, rolling around to escape.

Little did she know I fought a dragon and a serial killer into the same way. My arms tightened around her, holding her in place while I carried her to a bed. She and Lilac would be sleeping in my office while we finished up the party.

Thorax was walking beside me in his Equestrian changeling form. Lilac was on his back, eyes blinking slowly. She probably wasn’t tired, but all the sugar she’d eaten tonight was coming in for a crash.

Pity it wasn’t happening to Cookie yet.

“There is still party!” Cookie whined.

“It’s a grown-up party now.” I told her. “And past your bedtime.”

“I no wanna!”

“You stayed up late enough for the party already. Your bedtime was an hour ago.” I explained to her, while Thorax opened the door.

“No!” Cookie snapped.

I flicked my wrist, changning the room. It looked like my usual office, onnly with two small beds instead of a couch. Thorax moved Lilac to one of the beds, while I continued to drag Cookie to the other one.

“Wanna stay at Morgan party!” Cookie screamed.

“Mama is Morgan, and she’s saying you need to sleep.” I said before dropping Cookie on the bed. Before she could fly away I jumped over her. Lilac rolled her eyes from her bed.

“That’s stupid!” Cookie yelled.

“Don’t care. Time to sle-”

“You don’t have the same name when you go to Equestria!” Cookie argued, slamming her fists on the bed. “Why does Mister Logan get to keep his name?”

Thorax tensed.

“Where did you hear that name?” I asked her, serious.

Cookie whined. “Nana and Miss Tracy were saying it. Mama I don’t wanna sleep!”

“Alright. I won’t make you sleep.” I lifted my hands away from Cookie. She flopped down on the bed, exhausted. “Just tell Mama what Nana and Miss Tracy were saying about Logan.”

“That his name was funny.” Cookie answered, tiredly. All the arguing had wiped her out. “That it was the same all of the times.”

Thorax sat up. Lilac with him. “Babe, didn’t you say your name was different everywhere?”

I nodded, vaguely stunned. “It’s...it’s supposed to be. Sometimes I say my real name anyway.”

“You didn’t have the same name when you were...her.” Lilac added.

I winced. “That’s different too. She...she thought Morgan Spencer was everything good. The name she picked, it was everything dark and evil.”

“Couldn’t Mister Logan do the same thing?” Cookie asked. She rubbed at her eyes, flopping on the pillows again. “Cause...cause that Seth kid is a bully. If I was gonna be a bad guy, I’d say I was him, so then everybody would go to him but really it was me.” I blinked at her. “I’m a-” She yawned. “-smart cookie.” She started snoring.

Thorax came up behind me. “Babe.”

“Yeah?”

“You adopted a genius.”

“Yep.” Climbing out of the bed, I ran to my desk.

==DMLC==

In that one little room, someone screamed.

==DMLC==

Thorax stood by my side as I typed the name in the search bar.

“Why are we looking him up?” Thorax asked.

“Because...something about that name is familiar. Not just from, ya know, all the times I’ve heard it.” I admitted. The search pulled up a ton of results, but only one interested me. “Garfield Logan. I knew I heard that name before.” I turned the laptop to show the screen to Thorax and Lilac.

“Beast Boy?” Lilac read off. She smiled. “He’s awesome!”

I nodded, scrolling down the Google page. “Whoever this guy is, he wanted us going all sorts of directions. My guess is that if Tracy and her team searched this already, they hadn’t thought it of it like I have. Look at this! In the comics, Beast Boy’s called the Changeling when he’s older.” I showed the screen to Lilac. She took the laptop in front of her. “He thought if we looked past Seth, we’d go straight to Thorax. No offence.”

“None taken. I completely understand.” Thorax assured. “It makes sense, anyway.”

“M-Mom.” Lilac shakily spoke up.

“Whoever this guy is, it’s scary how much he thought this out.” I went on.

“Mom, look who Beast Boy’s voiced by.” Lilac moved it back to me.

I leaned forward, taking a look at where Lilac was pointing.

Something sunk in my chest, my heart or my lungs or both.

“Cipes.”

==DMLC==

In that little room, the second person laughed madly. His brown eyes shifting into black.

==DMLC==

The laptop was shut down. I was searching my desk for any weapon that I could use.

“Thorax, tell every guard you see to be on high alert for...for Jimmy.” I gulped, finding a knife hidden in a drawer. It wasn’t much but it would have to do. “Lilac, stay here. Make sure your sister stays asleep. I’m locking the door behind me and Thorax.”

Lilac nodded, swallowing heavily. 

“What are you going to do?” Thorax asked me. “You’re not going after this guy, are you?”

“This is my...this is my fault. I don’t have a choice.” I argued. This didn’t make me happy either. But it needed to be done.

“You have plenty of choices.” Thorax argued. “None of them include confronting him head on.”

“This is my fight, Thorax.” I repeated.

“He took my sister. That makes this my fight too.” Thorax reminded me, glaring with an anger that I had never seen on him before. That fight we had, in the hive, made him look relaxed compared to this. “I’m going to help.”

There would be no convincing him about this...so I came up with a quick plan. “Fine. Go get my sister. Tell her about the dungeons in the basement. There are whole levels to that place, she’ll be somewhere down there.” I instructed.

As I walked to the door, I heard Thorax say “You have a dungeon? Why is that so unsurprising? I should be concerned.”

==DMLC==

Darcy met Thorax and I downstairs.

“I searched the party and the toilets. He’s not there.” Daddy reported.

I nodded. “Alright. You and Thorax-”

“Wait I should check the stallion’s room.” Thorax suggested.

Darcy and I gave him a matching confused look.

Thorax stared back. “What?”

“I said I checked the bathrooms.” Darcy reminded.

My coltfriend stared. “You went in the  _ stallion’s room? _ But...but you’re a girl! Why would you go in there?” Darcy grinned, flirty. 

“We have bigger issues than my sister’s sex life!” I argued. The two stopped, one to gawk and one to preen. “Darcy, go with Thorax and check the dungeon. I’ll follow after telling Tracy off for talking about this in front of Cookie.”

Darcy nodded her head. She pooped her arm around Thorax’s. “Come on, boytoy. Let’s go see the dungeon!”

“Again- She has a dungeon?” Thorax asked. They tried to walk away, only for Thorax to look at me. “Morgan. Why am I going with your sister and not you?”

“Because I will be a bitch right now, and I can’t promise I can protect you from the bitch.” Was my answer. “Garfield Logan has taken over-”

“Hold the fuck up.” Darby stepped in. “What does this have to do with Garfield Loga? You said we were looking for Jimmy.”

“Apparently they’re the same person.” I shrugged, tiredly. “You’re kinda killing the mojo, sis.”

“That  _ bitch!”  _ Darcy stomped her foot. “That little- ugh I’m gonna kill him!”

“Darcy.” I began. “Do you... _ know _ him?”

“Hell yeah I know that tiger cunt!” Darcy snapped. She had her hands in fists, punching the wall beside her. “I spent a year hunting him in  _ Doctor Who _ . Remember when we went when you turned 180?”

“And you never mentioned it!?” I yelled.

Thorax was looking more confused.

“That team told me not to!” Darcy admitted. “That telling you fucked up the timeline!”

“Then fuck it up!” I ordered her. “Right now!”

“He’s fucked up your memory- a lot.” Darcy reported. “Because you told them about him, when you were.Terra Two. According to them, he was with you on the Game Station.”

“Oh that cunt.” That game I couldn’t remember, that I knew I had lived because my leg had been sprained and I had been crying. The Doctor had mentioned somethings after, some things that didn’t make sense but looking back it was obvious he was talking about Logan. He even name dropped the fucker. So now I need to ask the Doctor everything he remembers about Logan, because that is going to make the memory of killing Logan feel that much sweeter.

“Right!? Drax said you played a fucked up kind of Deal or No Deal-“ Darcy stopped, turning to Thorax. “Holy shit. Tho _ rax.  _ D _ rax. _ D-rax. That’s not-hehe-that’s not even funny.”

“Darcy!” I snapped. “Deal or No Deal?”

She was still looking at Thorax, looking over his human body. “You had to choose one of your friends to kill. Future, present, and past.” Darcy reported. “This is trippy. You even  _ look _ like your human self. You said you were an alien but...now I know that’s a fucking lie.”

“Uhh...what’s she saying?” Thorax asked me.

“You come with me to another world in the future. Time travel is weird. Who did I kill in that game?” I asked Darcy.

She winced. “They wouldn’t say. Only that it was in the past.”

“That  _ cunt _ .” I stomped my foot. “Now he dies twice!”

Darcy cheered in agreement.

“Find him. If he’s in the dungeon, keep him there. Darce I don’t care how many bones are broken, just leave him alive for me.”

She saluted. “Copy.”

“Thorax, use of magic is allowed to beat him bloody. If you need help, Darcy can give pointers on the beatings.”

My colt friend looked to my sister. She was grinning. “I’ve gotten very good at offensive spells.”

“Like...fighting?”

“Those too.”

“Why’re you still in my sight?” I snapped. Darcy saluted again, grabbing Thorax’s arm to drag him towards the dungeon. I turned on my feet, walking towards the party. “I’m gonna kill Tracy first. Bringing this up in front of my baby. Ugh she is dead! I’ll adopt Mack. That’s a good kid. She’s friends with Lilac, it’ll all work out.”

My phone vibrated with a text, just as they turned a corner to the dungeons.

The ID said it was from Jimmy.

_ ‘I’m waiting at your biggest regret.’ _

_ ‘Better hurry. Katelynn here is getting less fun.’ _

==DMLC==

Darcy opened the door to the dungeons. It was heavy and metal, and it squeaked with disuse. Clearly no one had fixed the hinges from the last time the dungeons had been used (meaning January, when Darcy and Morgan’s friends and been imprisoned).

Thorax winced at the sound. “I still don’t get it.”

“The Whoiverse. Doctor Who-universe. For the geeks that like it, it makes sense.” Darcy explained again.

Thorax nodded. “Right...okay...but why was I there?”

“Because Morgue brought you.” Darcy walked into the dungeon, since it was clear Thorax wasn’t going first. “Hey use your magic. Give us some light.”

Thorax lit up his hands. The blue magic shined like a flashlight down the hall. “Yeah but why would she bring me there?”

“Because she loves you? I don’t fucking know.” Darcy shrugged. She turned down a hallway. “She brought me cause I was there. She saw my future self.”

“But how did she know to bring your future self?”

“Because she saw it.”

“That’s...”

“Told you. Time travel is fucked up.”

Thorax huffed. He shined the light behind them, checking for any sign of life in the cells they were starting to pass. “I’m starting to get that...what did you say my name was?”

“Drax.”

“...that’s stupid.”

“Right!?”

“Why did I need a fake name?”

“The some reason Morgue and I did. Names have power, yeah? If the wrong people had our names, things would go to shit.” Darcy explained. “Shine a light there. I think I free something.”

“It’s a rag.” Thorax remarked, shining the light. “Gah What is that smell?”

“The rag.” Darcy answered. “That’s the rag they soaked my blood with! I remember that. What’s it doing up here?”

“Decomposing, let’s go.” Thorax states. He walked past Darcy. “What was your fake name?”

“Gamora.” Thorax snorted. “Shut up. Morgue had Terra Johnson. Hers is dumber.”

_ “Mora- _ nnoying than yours? Wait you said dumber.”

“...so  _ that’s _ why she loves you.”

==DMLC==

I opened the door to Dominic’s office. It was pitch darkness, the only light coming from the hall as I opened the door. Even then, the light didn’t show anything besides a wall.

“Took you long enough.” Jimmy’s voice scolded me.

“I know.” I turned to the chair. It spun around. “Oh author.”

In the chair, Katelynn sat with a stab wound in her chest.

@


	28. Chapter 28

You know, you’d think I’d get to seeing the people I’m close to dead. That maybe after seeing it so often-or even being the cause of it- I wouldn’t have this feeling of guilt in my chest. Like Katelynn had a knife in her’s.

“It’s a shame.” I heard my voice saying, felt the sentences coming in my throat. To be honest I had no idea what was going on upstairs. “That was a nice dress. Rarity’s gonna be so upset.”

Logan chuckled. Or, Jimmy chuckled and Logan was a darkness filling up every ounce of him. I glared his direction. He’d left Dominic’s table lamp on- that awful kind only librarian and bookies use-so I could see he was still dressed in his suit from tonight. His hair was a darker blond. His eyes were black. The kind that haunted me, and reminded me of demons from _ Supernatural _ only he still had the whites of his eyes.

But he had Jimmy’s face.

“I’m telling her it was your fault.” I informed him, blandly.

Logan laughed again. “Because nothing can ever be your fault, right? Oh no. It was  _ Morgana  _ that killed all those people.  _ Darcy  _ who ruined the plan.  _ Twilight _ who can’t assimilate to humans fast enough.  _ Nothing  _ can fall on the shoulders of the infallible Morgan Spencer.”

“Hey I know take credit for my own shit.” I argued. “Same as you. And I don’t take away people’s memories of it.”

Logan grinned in confusion, before comprehension dawned. “Your sister. She must’ve met me before. She’s the only one who could’ve told you. Thorax is an idiot, he can barely remember to tie his shoes.”

“He doesn’t wear shoes.” I argued in my boyfriend’s defense. I was such a good girlfriend. “He’s a horse. Did becoming Garfield Logan make you stupid?” He narrowed his eye at me. “Hey you forget that Lilac still forgets her shoes until she steps on a rock.”

“Becoming Garfield Logan hasn’t made me stupid. It’s made me...expanded.” Logan stated. In that stupid way they always fucking do by puffing their chests and broadening their shoulders. “Jimmy was weak.”

“Jimmy was my friend. Katelynn too.” I reminded him. In my mind, I was using the same tone one uses when giving a death threat. Logan grinned smugly. “So what is this, huh? Possession? Mind control? I’m gonna be honest, Garfield, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Logan mocked. “Not when you experienced the same thing?”

“I would say I’m pretty sure I’d remember being possessed by a dick, except you wipe my memory a lot so...who knows?” I remarked.

Logan laughed. “It’s a rare thing, you know, when a Traveler goes Dark. Two in the same generation. We’re revolutionaries.” He walked around the table, closer to me. I glared at him, my hand curled into a fist to punch him. “In order to go dark, you need to either change something so  _ fundamental _ in a world that the only way it can compensate would be to alter the Traveler. Tell me, Morgan, how  _ did  _ you become Morgana?”

I didn’t answer.

“Because you don’t have a bite. You’d died, so you should have a vampire bite on your neck.” Logan reached for my neck to point.

I grabbed his wrist, squeezing it.

Logan chuckled in my face. “So. How did you become a vampire, hmm? What had you done?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Did you stop the vampire attack?” Logan went on as if I wasn’t squeezing his wrist to a breaking point. I had earth pony strength-buried deep, deep down-so I could do it. “Did you stop them from killing people?”

“Whatever you are, get out of my friend.” I warned. “Because I’m losing my patience.”

“Is that what happened? You lost your patience, killed some vampires yourself?” Logan carried on. Which only pissed me off further. “Kill the wrong one?”

“Shut up.” I warned. My eyes glanced over his shoulders to look at Katelynn’s cooling corpse.

He laughed. “Ah.” He used his free hand to grab my other arm. I growled in his face. “Saved the wrong one.”

“Shut up!” I squeezed his wrist tighter. Garfield laughed like he was being tickled.

“Tell me- did you kill him first?” Logan asked.

“Shut UP!” The bone in his wrist was straining under my hand. “Just shut up and leave my friend!”

“Did it  _ burn _ ?” Logan asked with a demented growl of glee. “Did it burn through your blood like a fire? Were you screaming?”

_ Yes _ .

“Did you think to yourself that life wasn’t worth living through this pain?”

_ Yes. _

“Tell me. Does it wake you up at night? I’m looking forward to it. The memory of that pain, that itch beneath your skin that will just never seem to go away no matter how much you scratch.”

_ Yes _ .

I squeezed his wrist. 

Logan cackled.

==DMLC==

Darcy stopped.

Thorax bumped into her. 

“Uhh...” Thorax shined the light in a nearby cell. They’d gotten to the bottom of the dungeon. The cells here were empty. “Is there a thing I’m not seeing?”

“This was her cell.” Darcy remarked. She was holding one of the bars of the cell. Thorax’s eyes widened. “The first time my sister met her people, they locked her in a dungeon. Dominic Chamberlin set her up as a fucking monster, to justify it. They locked up the ponies too. And her human friends. Lilac and Spike were here somewhere too. They were going to be sent back to Equestria, but they were going to kill Lilac. Dominic told me as much.”

Thorax had never met Dominic Chamberlin. But he hated the man intently.

“They told me Morgue killed him.” Thorax felt bad that he was happy to hear that. “Stabbed him. A lot.”

“...why are we talking about this?”

Darcy looked at Thorax, a question in her eyes. “Has she told you about Morgana yet?”

“Who?”

“Fuck.” Darcy pressed her face against the bars. “Because I think something really bad happened to Jimmy- and it’s gonna fuck Morgan up when she knows it too.”

==DMLC==

“The second way to go Dark-” Logan explained, still grinning wide despite the fact I’d sprained his wrist. “-is to  _ break _ . Some would call it a psychotic break. Only, our species, our minds are so complex that they can’t just simple  _ break _ . Your mind shatters all at once and one piece at a time.”

He was still holding my arm in his other hand. He was squeezing tight enough to leave bruises.

“Did you know it’s like that?” Logan asked. “Because I think it was like that when your sister died.”

_ It was _ .

“You utter cock.” I snarled. “Get out of my friend.”

“Look at you. You’ve gone through  _ both _ . You’re so powerful you came back from them. You can make portals to those worlds with a thought. Your Createds have more soul than boring regular humans.” Logan recounted in awe. “And you wonder why they made you Queen.”

“Leave him. Leave him right now.”  _ ‘I don’t want to hurt you, Jimmy, if you’re still in there, but I will if I have to.’ _

“I loved you.” Garfield snarled back in my face. “I loved you since I left you.”

“Katelynn loved Jimmy.” I snapped. “She loved him. And you killed her.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend!” Garfield snapped back. “But I know what to do. You’ve been complaining about Garfield _ -me- _ for months! I know what to do to get under your skin.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll wipe your memory of them too-”

“Fuck. You.”

“Maybe I’ll keep doing the same thing- over and over again.”

“I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Because we’re the same, Morgan. We’re meant to be. Look at us. We found each other after a decade apart!” Garfield ranted.

“I’m gonna shoot you in the face.”

“I brought your sister back to you!”

“And you took away my friends!”

“I never wanted to be your friend!” Garfield held my arm so tight I’m sure it cut into the skin. I hissed- trying to make it out as anger but we both knew it was pain. “We were supposed to be together! Us, against the rest of them! With your power, with my mind, we’d have been unstoppable. But now I see it. Jimmy Cipes was  _ weak _ . All he had been weakness. Garfield Logan was the only thing you pay any attention to. But you had to go fill in love with an  _ insect _ over _ your own kind!” _

“Fuck! You!”

In a flash, Logan was ripped off my body. He was thrown across the room to a wall. He fell to the floor in a lump.

My hands were glowing gold with Equestrian magic. It roared up inside me, raging like I was. 

“You were better than this!” I raged at the thing that had been Jimmy. “Jimmy...Jimmy was better than this. He didn’t deserve this. Nobody does. Why did it have to be  _ you _ ?”

He pushed him up, weakly. He glared up at me. “Because you said  _ no _ .” He stood up. “And I won’t stop until I get a Yes.”

He grabbed the cord for the lamp, pulling it off the table. I made a shield over my body to protect me from the shattered glass. So I did so, Logan got to his feet and ran out the door.

I dropped the shield, following after him. 

==DMLC==

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

Darcy and Thorax were out of the dungeon by then. Darcy had the rag soaked with her blood in her hand. Thorax had pointed out the safety hazard, but refused to touch it. Darcy was-in her opinion-the only one brave enough to do it.

The door had just shut when they heard that shout. With no hesitation they ran towards Morgan’s yelling.

They had turned a corner when a body collided with Darcy, sending her to the floor.

Thorax stopped to be sure she was okay.

“Jimmy!” Darcy growled. “What the-What the fuck are your eyes?”

Garfield grinned like a shark at her. “I’m taking this.” He took the bloody rag out of her hand. He jumped to his feet, sneering at Thorax. “Pathetic insect.”

Thorax glared at him. “What did you do with my sister!”

“I take your sister?” Garfield remarked. “What a splendid idea. Which one was she again? There are so many sisters, I can’t remember them all.”

Thorax’s hand glowed blue. Darcy sat up, yelling at him to stop. “Her name is Cicada! Now tell me what you did!” Darcy smacked her hand against her face.

“Nothing...yet.” Garfield Logan’s grin widened.

Thorax realized how stupid he’d been.

Darcy hopped up to her feet. She charged at Garfield only for the man to dodge it effortlessly.

“LOGAN!” Morgan screamed as she turned down the hall.

The two sisters came at him, with Thorax trailing behind. Garfield Logan knew he was no match for them. But that didn’t kept the smug grin off his face.

Darcy came at him first. Garfield had dodged before, so she’d account for that. Instead Garfield let her run into him. He took hold of her rm, using her momentum to fling her over him. Her feet collided with Morgan’s head. As Thorax was approaching, he shifted into his changeling form. Garfield was momentarily thrown by the moose creature, before sliding underneath him.

It all happened in thirty seconds.

Morgan and Darcy got up first, only to see Garfield waving them goodbye.

“Bastard!” Morgan raged. She jumped up to her feet, rushing to Thorax. She hopped on his back. The changeling was confused for a second. “Chase him!” Morgan prompted.

Thorax got it. He ran after Logan. Darcy trailed behind.

They turned a corner to see Logan standing haughtily at the end.

“Did you really think I challenged you without a plan?” Garfield taunted, while Thorax and Morgan were catching up to him. 

Darcy’s eyes widened. She remembered her fights with him- few and far as they were. “GUYS STOP!” She called out to Morgan and Thorax.

Morgan heard her sister. She grabbed Thorax’s neck scruff, pulling him back like a horse’s reins.

But Logan had already pulled the trick out of his sleeve...literally. Morgan’s eyes widened as he pressed the button.

Thorax fell on his knees. Morgan fell on his side. Darcy collapsed against the wall.

Logan walked towards Morgan, who had gone pale. He knelt down to her side. Morgan glared at him, moves sluggish. He held up the little device.

“You know, Morgan, your biggest regret wasn’t killing him with this.” Logan remarked. Morgan let out a hefty breath, having difficulty breathing in. “It was using  _ this _ to keep him from feeling it.”

Morgan said nothing.

Logan grinned. He stood up, walking down the hallway. Darcy writhed on the wall, trying to reach for Logan. Thorax was growling. Logan just laughed.


	29. Epilogue

I wanna say it worked out after that.

I wanna say we stood up, chased Logan down before he made it to the parking lot.

Or maybe that Tracy turned out to be a surprise hero. She stopped Logan at the door, pointing a gun at his face and saying some badass heroic line that would set fireworks off in the distance or an explosion that she wasn’t looking at.

Or maybe that Twilight came up. She gave Logan a heartwarming speech about the power of friendship. It brought Jimmy back from the insanity. He would beg for apologies and that he’d never do anything like becoming Logan again.

Except it didn’t.

No...I had enough memories in my head-Darcy too- to prove that Logan won tonight. 

That he used that rag-crusted up in my sister’s dried up disgusting blood-to gain access to my worlds.

That Logan used it to break me down. Piece by piece, world by world, life by life.

That he wouldn’t stop.

And if I managed to stop him at one of those points, I didn’t remember it.

He won.

Tonight, he won.

==DMLC==

The next morning, everyone gathered in my office to talk about what happened last night. I gave them a briefing- not leaving out a detail. A lot of people were in tears, hearing Katelynn had been killed. I had called Jimmy’s mom, letting her know that Jimmy had changed, that he was considered the most dangerous threat to happen to our people. It wasn’t a great phonecall, reminding me of all the phonecalls I’d made to tell family members their child had died.

My parents had been freaked out. They made all kinds of crazy demands- that I not do anything stupid like Traveling until this ‘madman’ had been stopped. That we call the police, let them handle it. That we take away Darcy’s knife- because surely it couldn’t be her’s but actually Katelynn’s murder weapon (that was the harder argument.).

Sadly they had a point. No Traveling, at least not yet.

Thorax stayed by my side the whole time. He hugged me after I called Mrs Cipes. He held my hand when I admitted Katelynn had died, and the subsequent telling of her parents.

Darcy helped too. She watched Lilac and Cookie, keeping them from hearing the worst of it. She brought them to the Spencer’s, saying she was gonna _ ‘connect with the bros and the nieces’ _ as an excuse for Thorax and I to be alone. I love my sister.

Still. It came time to send the Mane 6 and Spike home.

They were all hugging me. I allowed it, starting to feel numb from everything.

“That’s it?” Rainbow asked. “We’re just going home now?”

“You can’t stay here.” I reminded. “You’re at your most vulnerable here. Worse I’m more vulnerable with you guys here. If Logan got to you, I doubt he’d let any of you live long.”

“But he’s been to your world before!” Rainbow argued. “So he could be in Equestria right now!”

“With Celestia, Luna, Mia, Shining Armor, and know an entire Hive of Changelings against him. An entire country fighting him.”

“You got an entire planet.” Applejack pointed out. 

She had a good point.

“Girls.” Fluttershy stepped forward. She came to give me another hug. I returned it, not wanting to put heart into it because if I did I might never let them go. “I think we need to listen to Morgan. She needs to focus on finding Logan.”

“Fluttershy is right.” Rarity agreed. She joined the hug. I stepped back, before they could restart the group hug. Thorax put a hoof on my shoulder. Yeah he’d been in his changeling form all morning. “Morgan, darling, we’ll help you however we can.”

“Tell the Princesses.” I instructed, matter-of-factly. “Tell the Crystal Empire. Write to Sunset and tell her. Tell everypony you can. Garfield Logan is a menace that needs to be stopped.”

Pinkie burst out in sobs.

I winced. “Uhh...Pinkie? You good?”

The pink person suddenly fell to the floor, still crying. In the cartoon effect her tears were puddling on the floor. “Your birthday was ruined!”

“Pinkie, that was the best birthday party I’ve ever had in my life. “ I assured her. “It was just the after-party that sucked.” She sobbed again. “Fine. Go to Equestria and plan me a second one. A  _ better _ birthday. I’ll be 21 in Equestria, so I expect drinks.”

She stopped sobbing to give me a hug. “I’m sorry, Morgan!”

“Ap-apology accepted.” She pulled away from the hug.

Twilight stepped up next. “Morgan. Will you come back?”

“Of course.” I answered, giving her a tight smile. “Lilac’s friends are there. And Thorax is...Thorax has stuff there too. It’s his home.”

“And you’ll come with them, yes?” Twilight pressed.

“If I don’t, Pinkie will come after me for that make-up birthday party.” I joked, but even I knew the smile wasn’t reaching my eyes. Twilight gave me a thin lipped stare. “I’ll be gone for a while, yeah, but it’ll be barely a blink for you guys. I’ll come back. I always do.”

She gave me a firm look, putting a hand on my shoulder beside Thorax’s. “I’m holding you to that.”

With that, the girls all left with Tracy. She took them back to Equestria.

I stayed stone faced the entire time.

Thorax hugged me from behind, wrapping his hoof around my body so the hoof rested against my front. “It’s going to be okay, Star.”

I patted his hoof with my hand.

“I can feel your emotions.” He reminded me, kissing the side of my head. “And I know what you’re feeling...I think you’re being really strong.” He stopped for a moment. My grip was tightening on his hoof. My eyes were still on the door where the Mane 6 had walked out through. “You don’t have to be strong all the time. It’s okay to let go.”

So I did.

With little sniffles at first. Then they got louder.

Thorax turned me around, so I could hide my face against the side of his neck. Seriously this thing was long. Candace Flynn had nothing on this neck length.

He let me cry on his shoulder when it all crashed down on me.

==DMLC==

Across the universes, across the worlds, one little changeling was crouched against the wall. She had a heavy collar around her neck. There were manacles around her hooves. She had bolts going through the holes of her body, so she couldn’t change form until her captor unlocked them.

She’d been sobbing for days now. It had been so long since she saw something good. Her room was dark- a cell without windows. 

She didn’t want to be in here.

She just wanted her brother.

She wanted to go home.

Her captor opened her door, bringing some light into her room. It blinded Cicada for a moment.

Garfield Logan chuckled as he stepped inside. “Now...let’s have  _ fun. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Creating A Hive will be posted in a week! See you lot then!


End file.
